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We’ll reopen on October 1 for the next planting season
Desert Garden Maintenance Ideas for September
September feels like the beginning of a new year in the desert garden. After months of simply getting through summer, I'm ready to get back outside and start doing things again. The days are getting shorter, the angle of the sun is changing, and both the garden and I can feel that fall is coming.
But September also requires a little patience. I sometimes feel like a horse chomping at the bit, ready to charge into planting season while the weather is still holding me at the gate. The garden is beginning to recover from summer, and there is finally work we can start doing, but how much we do and when we do it depends on the weather.
This is the month to assess what made it through summer, begin cleaning things up, gradually adjust irrigation as the days shorten, and start selective pruning. For non-native plants, Labor Day is also the traditional time to begin fall fertilizing. And, of course, we can start getting ready to plant. Just don't let September enthusiasm get ahead of September temperatures.
Topics covered: Planting, Pruning, Flowering, Vegetables, Irrigation, Pests, Weeds, and Fertilizer
Planting
Assess your garden. Take a walk through your landscape and see how everything came through summer. What thrived? What struggled? What didn't make it? Summer is a good test of whether a plant is suited to its location. A plant that couldn't survive the heat and conditions in that particular spot may simply have been the wrong plant in the wrong place. If it needs to be replaced, choose something better suited to the conditions there.
Rethink annual color. Before filling those empty spaces with another round of pansies, petunias, and other seasonal annuals, consider replacing them with native perennials. You'll still get seasonal color, but you'll also have plants that return year after year and provide food and habitat for local wildlife.
Wait for the weather. September may feel like the beginning of planting season, and you may be ready to get started, but the weather gets the final say. Watch the forecast and conditions in your own garden. As temperatures moderate, you can begin planting and take advantage of the long fall and winter growing season ahead.
Pruning
September is when we can begin to assess our plants after summer and start making some pruning decisions. The days are getting shorter, the sun is less intense, and plants are beginning to recover from the stress of summer. But we're not quite there yet. Save major pruning for fall, preferably October.
For now, take care of smaller issues. Remove dead or damaged branches, unwanted suckers, growth blocking pathways, and anything creating a safety concern. Fast-growing desert trees such as mesquites and palo verdes may need some selective trimming after their summer growth.
This is also a good time to step back and look at the overall structure of your plants. Decide what will need attention when it's time for fall pruning, rather than jumping in and doing it all now.
Flowering
By September, the garden is beginning to show signs of life again. The days are getting shorter, the intensity of the summer sun is easing, and plants that have spent the hottest months simply trying to survive may begin putting on fresh growth and flowers. In my garden, I see blooms from chuparosa, globe mallow, desert marigold, Indian blanket, golden dogbane, angelita daisy, datura, milkweed, and more.
You can deadhead spent flowers to encourage continued blooming, but I still leave many of mine to go to seed. Those seeds provide food for birds and other wildlife and allow plants to reseed naturally throughout the garden.
September is also a good time to collect some of those seeds for yourself. Once seedpods or seed heads begin to brown and dry, collect them in a paper bag and allow them to finish drying for a week or two in a cool, shady place. Just remember that you don't have to collect everything. Leave plenty behind for wildlife and natural reseeding.
Next month, we'll start sowing some of the seeds we've collected.
Vegetables
September is the beginning of our cool-season vegetable planting season! As temperatures begin to moderate, we can start planting the vegetables and herbs that will carry us through fall and winter.
Not sure what to plant? Our September Vegetable Planting Guide has a complete list of what can be planted from seed and what is better planted as a transplant this month.
Understanding your plants' needs is one of the keys to successful fertilizing. Think about what part of the plant you're trying to grow and harvest. Root vegetables don't have the same needs as crops you're continually harvesting for leaves or flowers. Too much fertilizer, particularly nitrogen, can give you lots of beautiful leafy growth at the expense of the roots you're trying to grow.
Fast-growing plants that are continually replacing harvested leaves or producing flowers and fruit may benefit from more regular feeding. Rather than fertilizing everything in the vegetable garden on the same schedule, pay attention to what you're growing and what you're asking the plant to produce.
Natural fertilizers such as fish emulsion and sea kelp can provide nutrients throughout the growing season. As with any fertilizer, more isn't necessarily better. Follow the product directions and let the needs of the plant guide you.
Irrigation
September can still be very hot, but our irrigation needs are beginning to change. The days are noticeably shorter and the sun is lower in the sky, which means plants are no longer experiencing the same conditions they were in July and August. As the month progresses, you can begin gradually reducing irrigation.
Don't make a dramatic change all at once. Continue to watch the weather and your plants, and adjust as conditions change. Desert natives should still be watered deeply and allowed to dry between irrigations. As temperatures moderate and days continue to shorten, you can begin extending the time between those deep waterings.
After a long summer, September is also a good time to check water basins and mulch. Repair basins that have eroded and replenish mulch where it has thinned so the water you apply stays where your plants can use it.
Pests
As plants begin to recover from summer, continue watching for signs of pest damage. A plant that has spent months under heat or water stress may still be more vulnerable to problems, even as conditions begin to improve.
Continue inspecting your plants regularly and identify what you're seeing before deciding whether you need to intervene. Remember, insects are part of a healthy garden, and a chewed leaf or an insect on a plant doesn't automatically mean something needs to be treated.
If you do have a pest problem, start with the least invasive solution. Removing affected material, hand-picking pests, or using a strong stream of water may be enough. If further treatment is necessary, target the problem rather than treating the entire garden.
Weeds
September is a good time to get back on top of weeds after summer. If you've received monsoonal rain, you may see a fresh flush of seedlings appearing throughout the garden.
One of the easiest ways to stay ahead of weeds is to pull them when you see them. Don't wait until you have time to “weed the garden.” If you walk past a weed today, there's a good chance it will be bigger, flowering, or setting seed by the time you come back to it.
When you do spend time weeding, be systematic. I like to think of it almost like a grid search: work one area thoroughly before moving on to the next. Be ruthless about getting all of them. Leaving just a few behind to set seed means you'll be pulling their offspring later.
A good layer of mulch will also help suppress new seedlings, but it won't eliminate weeds entirely. The best long-term weed control is simply not letting the weeds you have make more weeds.
Fertilizer
For many non-native landscape plants, Labor Day is a good reminder that it's time to begin fall fertilizing. As the days shorten and the intensity of summer begins to ease, plants start recovering and returning to more active growth, making September a better time to provide nutrients than the heat of July and August.
But first, make sure the plant has recovered from summer. Never fertilize a drought-stressed plant. Fertilizer won't correct a lack of water and can add additional stress when a plant is already struggling. Address the water issue and allow the plant to recover before feeding it.
Established desert native plants are adapted to our nutrient-poor soils and generally don't need routine fertilizing. Instead, think about recreating what happens naturally around them. For many desert natives, mulch can be rock, naturally accumulated leaf litter and plant debris, or, even better, rock with leaves and other organic material allowed to collect between it. This protects the soil while allowing organic matter and nutrients to slowly return as plant material breaks down.
As always, pay attention to the needs of the individual plant rather than fertilizing simply because it's September.
