SEPTEMBER
By all these lovely tokens, September days are here. With summer's best of weather and autumn's best of cheer.
- Helen Hunt Jackson
Also known as “green manure”, cover crops are used to enrich soil fertility and improve soil structure. Timing when you plant cover crops is important for the success of the crop and September through October is a prime time. Cover crops help suppress weeds, protect soil from erosion, provide habitat for beneficial insects and earthworms, and so much more.
As the summer heat starts to ease with shorter days, your plants will require less water to remain at their optimal health. Get tips on: how to water properly, how much you should be watering, and what factors impact watering needs. Marin Water provides a helpful weekly watering schedule to help you properly program your irrigation throughout the seasons..
As flowers fade and wither, remove them from the plant to encourage additional blooming. Removing spent flowers from plants is also a fire-smart method of reducing combustible fuel in your landscape. Learn more about keeping your landscape lean, clean, and green.
Plants wilting and dropping leaves can be cause for alarm, but not always! Some drought adapted native plants such as redwood trees, sticky monkey flower, and milkweed exhibit seasonal dieback and dormancy during summer heat. Dropping leaves and pausing growth allows these plants to conserve energy in their roots until the rainy season begins. In these cases, watering is usually not needed and can cause root rot. If you’re not sure if your plant is experiencing normal drought dormancy, reach out to the help desk with a picture and species identification.
Sow from seed carrots, parsnips, potatoes, and radish. Start to transplant broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, chard, collard greens, kale, lettuce, bunching onions, and peas. Click here for a monthly planting schedule.
MARIN IJ GARDENING TIP OF THE WEEK:
GO TO THE MARIN IJ ARCHIVE PAGE FOR MORE STORIES AND GARDENING TIPS!
Upcoming Events
Event Name | Date |
---|---|
Backyard Birds and Bird Habitat | 9/24/2024 |
CA Native Gardening 101 | 9/28/2024 |
About Succulents | 9/28/2024 |
Fire Smart Landscaping | 10/10/2024 |
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Find out more about University of California Cooperative Extension in Marin (Marin UCCE) and its mission to sustain a vital agriculture, environment and community.