The Almanac
Common temperature: Excessive 90, Low 72
Rainfall: 5.76 inches
1. Moon phases
Full moon: Sept. 1
Final quarter: Sept. 14
New moon: Sept. 21
First quarter: Sept. 29
2. Moon signal planting dates
Above-ground crops: 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30
Under-ground crops: 11, 12, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21
Management weeds: 4, 5, 13, 14
Prune bushes and shrubs: 1, 9, 10, 17, 18, 27, 28
Time to plant
3. Greens: Early plantings embody lima bean, snap bean, corn, cucumber, eggplant, pepper, southern pea, rhubarb, squash and tomato; end-of-the-month crops embody broccoli, cabbage, celery, collard, endive, lettuce, mustard, onion, radish, strawberry and turnip
4. Flowers: Ageratum, angelonia, begonia, blue daze, butterfly weed, cat’s whiskers, celosia, cleome, coleus, coreopsis, cosmos, backyard mums, gaura, gazania, gerbera, goldenrod, gomphrena, heliotrope, impatiens, jacobinia, lantana, marigold, melampodium, nicotiana, pentas, periwinkle, ruellia, salvia, sunflower, candy alyssum, torenia, verbena and zinnia
5. Herbs: Anise, basil, bay laurel, borage, chives, coriander, dill, lemon balm, lavender, Mexican tarragon, mint, parsley, rosemary, sage, candy fennel, candy marjoram and thyme
6. Bulbs: African iris, agapanthus, amaryllis, blackberry lily, bulbine, calla lily, crinum, crocosmia, day lily, gladiolus, kaffir lily, narcissus, society garlic, spider lily, rain lilies and strolling iris
Vegetable and fruit care
7. Begin fall gardens in sunny websites with a close-by water supply.
8. Fall by winter solar dips south; keep away from websites which will turn into shady.
9. Including natural matter to sandy soils conserves water, provides vitamins and reduces pests.
10. Earlier planted websites may have natural matter and manures to revive the soil.
11. Take away plastic covers from solarization remedies and plant with out tilling.
12. Tomatoes, peppers and eggplants must be the primary crops planted to get fruit earlier than winter.
13. Plant different heat season greens till early October.
14. Hold new plantings and seedlings moist; water older plantings when the soil begins to dry.
15. Apply a primary feeding two weeks after seed germination or including transplants.
16. Proceed with month-to-month feedings for in-ground plantings; each different week for containers.
17. Contemplate substituting a slow-release fertilizer which would be the solely feeding wanted.
18. Add flowering crops to gardens to ask pollinators to go to.
19. Present helps for tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and comparable rising crops.
20. Rejuvenate herb gardens in late September and add contemporary fall plantings.
21. Examine the backyard day by day to find out soil moisture, management progress and take away pests.
22. Use mulches to preserve water, management weeds and preserve soil off leafy crops.
23. Save tops or take away aspect shoots to root from pineapple crops and enhance your plantings.
24. Add greens and herbs to containers for patio and balcony gardens.
25. Clear containers and begin with contemporary potting soil every season.
26. Use 5 gallon or bigger containers for the larger-growing crops together with tomatoes.
27. Hold container-grown tomatoes uniformly moist to keep away from blossom-end rot.
28. Irrigate citrus bushes a few times every week throughout dry climate to keep up the fruit.
29. Begin seedlings of fall cool-season crops later within the month.
30. Start citrus and avocado tree feedings towards the tip of the month.
Garden care
31. Summer time rains have been variable: examine for moisture wants between day by day rains.
32. Lawns with aggressive weeds want consideration; dig out and resod or spot deal with with herbicides.
33. Delay basic weed management till no less than the tip of the month.
34. Examine native ordinances to find out when garden feedings can start.
35. Some lawns could regreen with solely an iron or minor nutrient utility till feeding time.
36. Delay fall feedings till early October in restricted fertilizer areas.
37. Pesticide-resistant chinch bugs have been reported; seek the advice of your Extension Agent for management.
38. Patch pest-damaged or weedy areas with new sod, plugs or seed.
39. Full seeding of bahia turf in early September.
40. Start sodding frivolously shady areas when drier climate returns.
41. Garden caterpillars can proceed in to fall; management when famous.
42. Fireplace ants are regularly present in lawns; spot deal with mounds then deal with your entire garden.
43. Mole crickets may be damaging to bahia and zoysia lawns; deal with as wanted.
44. Dry climate can return this month; wait to irrigate turf till leaf blades begin to curl.
45. Water turf individually from decorative plantings.
46. Aerate hard-to-wet or compacted soils.
47. Have garden soil acidity examined and apply a remedy if wanted.
48. Proceed mowings at beneficial heights however periodically change mowing patterns.
49. Fill declining and closely shaded turf areas with a decorative floor cowl or mulch.
Within the panorama
50. Many areas of Florida have fertilizer restrictions; crops in containers are often exempted.
51. Weeds are uncontrolled in lots of landscapes; take away quickly to maintain them from flowering.
52. Finish-of-summer grooming time is right here; your crops could solely want a bit of trimming.
53. Get crops again in bounds and edge walkways.
54. Many perennial crops have useless or declining stems and outdated flowers that should be eliminated.
55. Take away declining stems and outdated flower heads from roses; feed as permitted.
56. Count on crops like caladiums and a few gingers to begin to decline and go dormant till spring.
57. Replant declining flowers with warm-season picks; delay planting the cool season varieties.
58. Scale back root rot and comparable issues at planting by including new soil to container gardens.
59. Until flower beds and add natural matter or backyard soils to sandy websites.
60. Think about using extra long-lived perennials to cut back panorama prices.
61. Prune declining fronds and flower stems from palms however go away the inexperienced.
62. Sterilize pruners between crops when trimming palms with potential ailments.
63. Keep away from planting palms with prevalent illness issues.
64. Scale bugs, mealy bugs and aphids have been lively; management as wanted.
65. Sooty mildew grows on the excreta of bugs; management each with a horticultural oil spray.
66. Chrysanthemums make enticing fall flowers however they solely final a couple of weeks within the warmth.
67. Give poinsettias a remaining pruning in early September; proceed feedings if permitted.
68. Renew mulch layers with top-dressings as wanted.
69. Divide perennials and replant within the backyard.
70. Forcing northern bulbs for spring flowers is a problem; begin chilly remedy quickly.
71. Add new bushes, shrubs and palms.
72. Feed palms by October or use a slow-release fertilizer three to 4 occasions a yr.
73. Start late September shrub and perennial feedings for fall if permitted.
74. Feed container grown orchids each different week or use a slow-release fertilizer as labeled.
75. Take away declining leaves and flowers from water lilies; give a month-to-month feeding if permitted.
Home and foliage crops
76. Transfer orchids which have completed flowering indoors to shady out of doors areas.
77. Groom foliage crops rising outdoor to organize them for the transfer indoors.
78. Management pests together with scale, mealybugs, thrips and mites with pure sprays.
79. Step by step cut back feedings and waterings of Christmas and vacation cactus.
80. Determine which crops to carry indoors for the cooler months.
81. Transplant foliage crops needing new containers to organize for cooler fall climate.
82. Feed foliage crops month-to-month or use a slow-release fertilizer based on the label.
83. Make cuttings to extend the foliage plant assortment.
84. Exchange declining crops with new picks for fall.
85. Acquire amaryllis and paper white narcissus bulbs for fall forcing.
Tom MacCubbin is an city horticulturist emeritus with the College of Florida Cooperative Extension Service. Write him: Orlando Sentinel, P.O. Field 2833, Orlando, FL. 32802. E-mail: TomMac1996@aol.com.
