Irrigate ripening cucumbers carefully to avoid over and under watering. (Photo: PxHere)

Tasks

• Check drip emitters to adjust flow and unclog them if needed.
• Lightly trim lavenders after they have finished flowering to keep them compact.
• Support any heavily laden branches of fruit and nut trees.
• Water citrus being careful not to overwater. Continuously wet soil in the upper few inches risks root rot.

Pruning

• Deadhead roses, remove suckers and unwanted branches, and prune to improve air circulation.
• Divide iris every 2 or 3 years and replant new rhizomes.

Fertilizing

• Lightly fertilize annuals and roses for fall bloom.

Planting

• Any planting this month (including trees and shrubs) will require adequate water and sun protection.
• Bulbs, corms, tubers: Watsonia.
• Fruits and vegetables: lettuce, mustard, peas, potatoes, spinach, Swiss chard, turnips (plant from seed).

Enjoy now

• Annuals and perennials: petunia, annual phlox (Phlox drummondii), moss rose (Portulaca), sage (Salvia), Stokes' aster (Stokesia), verbena, zinnia.
• Bulbs, corms, tubers: lily (Lilium asiatic hybrid).
• Trees, shrubs, vines: desert willow (Chilopsis), rose, chaste tree (Vitex).
• Fruits and vegetables: cantaloupe, plum, tomato, tomatillo, squash.

Things to ponder

• Do not allow vegetables to dry out - but do not over water either. A consistent, even supply of moisture prevents bitterness in cucumbers and cracking and poor fruit quality in tomatoes.
• Standing water, even in the very smallest container, can be a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
• Browse fall catalogs to order seeds and bulbs for winter and spring.