September has arrived, and the Arizona backyard feels the consequences of a protracted, scorching summer season. Some crops are lifeless and crispy, peppers and tomatoes want pruning, the irrigation system might use a tune-up, and fallen branches from monsoon storms want clearing. The subsequent planting season is simply across the nook, so it’s time to get to work.
On this article, you’ll discover the important duties to assist your September vegetable, panorama, flower, and fruit backyard transition to the following season. We’ll additionally focus on frequent pests to be careful for and provides pointers for watering throughout this pivotal month.
For particular particulars on what to plant and harvest in Arizona’s low desert throughout September, try my planting guides or the weblog submit, “September Planting Information for Arizona’s Low Desert.” The low desert consists of areas beneath 3,500 ft in elevation, such because the Phoenix and Tucson metro areas.
Click on on the title to leap to that part and be taught extra about what to do throughout September:
Vegetable Gardening
Assess your Present Backyard
In case your backyard has been struggling or hasn’t thrived as you’d hoped, it’s time to dig just a little deeper—actually and figuratively. Begin by evaluating the foundation causes after which do your finest to repair them.
Is your backyard getting watered appropriately? Is your soil too dry or too moist? Dig into your beds and examine. Alter watering if wanted.
Are tree roots from neighboring timber invading the house? Dig down and take away roots contained in the mattress, and discover the incoming roots exterior the mattress. Pull again the roots and reduce so far as potential exterior of the mattress.
How is your soil? It needs to be mild and friable. The success of your raised mattress backyard largely is dependent upon the standard of your soil. The highest 12″ (30 cm) of your raised beds needs to be a high-quality raised mattress combine. I exploit the raised mattress combine from Arizona Worm Farm. You may make your individual combine by combining compost, coconut coir, and vermiculite, or perlite. This combine ensures good drainage, moisture retention, and nutrient availability, offering an optimum setting to your greens to thrive. Study extra on this weblog submit.
You may additionally contemplate testing your soil. Based mostly on the outcomes, amend the soil accordingly. I exploit and suggest this soil testing equipment.
Plan Your Fall Backyard
Make a plan for fall and winter planting. Incorporate totally different greens, herbs, fruits, and flowers into your backyard plan. This text explains the way to plan your backyard.
Learn “How one can begin a backyard in 8 easy steps” to get began in your backyard if you’re a first-timer or are on the lookout for just a few suggestions.
Put together Beds For Fall Planting
All through the season, natural matter decomposes, and the soil stage in your raised beds will naturally drop and wish replenishing. Pull again the mulch and high the soil with worm castings and a recent layer of compost. If wanted, add a raised mattress combine to deliver the soil stage again up.
Should you aren’t planting till October, plant a final spherical of canopy crops – black-eyed peas or buckwheat— later within the month. The crops don’t must get very massive earlier than they’re chopped and used as natural matter to feed the soil. Study extra about utilizing cowl crops on this article.
Have irrigation in place for backyard beds and planting areas. Test current irrigation for leaks and ensure it’s working appropriately. Should you use backyard grids from Backyard in Minutes, examine that the holes will not be clogged from onerous water buildup. If they’re, use a push pin to reopen closed holes.
Backyard Duties Throughout September
In case your backyard is something like mine, it’s most likely a multitude, and it’s time to wash it up! Take away lifeless or dying crops. If they’re diseased or contaminated with pests, throw them away within the trash, not your compost. Clear up particles within the backyard. This may harbor pests and illnesses.
Should you haven’t already and your crops are overgrown, reduce peppers, eggplants, and tomatoes to the most recent leaves. This rejuvenates the crops for a wonderful fall crop. After chopping again, high crops with worm castings and compost.
Worms are inclined to make themselves scarce when the soil is scorching. As temperatures cool, they’ll come again into your bins. As soon as nighttime temperatures are persistently beneath 80°F (26°C), it’s time to refresh in-bed vermicomposting bins or begin new bins. Learn the way on this weblog submit.
Begin seeds indoors to your favourite cool-season crops. This weblog submit particulars which seeds to start out this month.
Discover seed potatoes and start “chitting” them so they are going to be able to plant later this month or in October. Study extra about the way to develop potatoes on this article.
That is the final likelihood to order garlic so you’ll be able to plant it in October. Retailer it within the fridge till planting time.
Pot any indoor-grown seedlings outgrowing their containers if it’s not time to plant them exterior. Fertilize indoor-grown seedlings each different watering.
Sustain with day by day okra harvests this month. Study my seven favourite methods to make use of okra on this weblog submit.
Roselle harvests start in earnest this month. Study extra about rising roselle on this article.
As soon as daytime temperatures are persistently beneath 90℉ (32°C), take away the shade material (if utilizing).
Cowl newly planted seeds and seedlings with tulle to maintain the birds from digging up seeds or consuming seedlings.
Flip and spray down your compost. It’s most likely dried out over the summer season. Add extra greens if wanted to warmth it again up. Study extra about composting right here.
Planting Cool Season Crops in September
Pay shut consideration to the climate this month. If temperatures are nonetheless within the 100s and the nights are nonetheless scorching, wait to plant cool-season crops. If the soil temperatures are at or above 85°F, the soil remains to be very heat—wait to plant. Learn this submit for extra details about the way to measure your soil temperature.
For particular particulars on what to plant throughout September, try my planting guides or the ‘September Planting Information.’
My September Backyard Journals
Twice a month, I ship my private backyard journal to members of “Rising within the Backyard Academy.” From the primary seedling to the final harvest, you’ll be able to observe my gardening adventures in Arizona’s distinctive low desert. As a member, you’ll be able to entry the previous three years of backyard journals and month-to-month courses.
Be part of me, and let’s make your backyard thrive underneath the desert solar!
Low Desert Arizona in September: Pests & Wildlife to Watch Out For This Month
Sadly, the marginally cooler temperatures of September are inviting for pests.
Right now of yr, Tecoma crops, yellow bells, and bougainvillea could also be infested with caterpillars. If the plant is massive, it often survives the infestation with out affecting the tree’s total well being. Should you determine to deal with, you may have just a few selections: spray off with water or use BT. When the climate cools a bit, the caterpillars may have moved on. Prune off severely contaminated branches.
Whiteflies are lively within the heat climate of late summer season and early fall. To maintain infestations down, apply a soapy water resolution of 1 Tablespoon Daybreak to 1 gallon of water to the undersides of leaves day by day.
Grasshoppers are frequent this month. Handpick. Hopefully, the birds make it easier to out, too.
Spider mites will be problematic this month. Learn this submit for remedy choices.
Squash and Jap Bordered Plant Bugs. This text shares prevention and remedy choices.
If rollie-pollies are consuming seedlings (they love beans!), sprinkle a small quantity of this slug and snail bait while you plant. Study extra on this weblog submit.
Useful bugs and different wildlife within the backyard throughout September:
Bees, murderer bugs, wasps, cicadas, hummingbirds, praying mantids, lizards, and butterflies like Swallowtails and Gulf Fritillary.
Container Gardening Duties
It’s typically finest to start out over with recent raised mattress combine or one other high-quality potting combine in containers. You may add spent container soil to fill empty backyard beds, use it as mulch for timber, or add it to your compost.
Nevertheless, it’s potential to replenish and reinvigorate the soil utilized in your containers. This weblog submit explains the way to do it.
To refresh massive containers, pull again the mulch and take away massive roots. Moisten the soil and examine for drainage. Fill the remaining room with new raised mattress combine. Add in a balanced natural fertilizer.
Arizona September Backyard Duties: Flower Gardening
September is a time of change within the annual flower mattress. By the tip of the month, you’ll wish to filter summer season blooming annuals. Amend beds effectively with about an inch of compost (no more). If the soil is simply too wealthy, you’ll have many leaves however no flowers.
As soon as daytime temperatures persistently fall beneath 100℉ (38°C) and nights calm down beneath 80°F (27°C), plant cool-season annuals from seed and transplants. Water newly planted annuals every day till they present new development and are established.
October is a key planting month for wildflowers and winter flowers; you wish to be prepared. Order seeds, bulbs and corms and begin winter flower seeds indoors.
Accumulate seeds from blooming 4 o’clock flowers this month. Learn to develop 4 o’clock flowers on this article. Save seeds from zinnias, sundown cosmos, and different summer season flowers.
Make a fast word of flowers that carried out effectively for you this summer season. Be aware when and the place you planted them. Study out of your successes every year!
Arizona Annual Flowers Planting Calendar helps you be taught when to plant flowers in Arizona and when to start out seeds indoors.
Caring for Roses Throughout September in Arizona
Start evenly fertilizing roses once more this month. Sustain with watering each few days till temperatures cool in October.
As soon as nighttime temperatures are within the 70s (21-26°C), prune roses evenly to take away lifeless or diseased canes. (This is likely to be in October)
Consider your roses. They could look haggard, but when crops are severely burned or struggling, contemplate transferring them to a shadier location subsequent month.
Make plans for planting extra roses. Selecting the best varieties helps guarantee your roses survive the summer season warmth. Roses reminiscent of Memorial Day, Iceberg, and Julia Youngster are glorious selections as they’re identified for his or her resilience and skill to resist excessive temperatures. Including extra roses to your backyard? Use Code GARDENAZ24 Heirloom Roses for 20% off any rose order by means of December 31, 2024.
Fruit and Fruit Bushes
Poor summer season watering practices trigger citrus rinds to thicken, they usually cut up when the fruit expands within the fall. Solar-damaged fruit can be frequent. Choose and discard any cut up or sun-damaged fruit this month. Do your finest to supply common deep watering for these fruit timber.
Many sorts of pomegranates will probably be prepared to reap in October or November. Take away fallen and infested fruit to maintain leaf-footed bugs underneath management.
Apply the final spherical of citrus fertilizer early within the month—water effectively the day earlier than and once more after fertilizing. Skip fertilizing grapefruit this time; they require much less fertilizer than different varieties of citrus timber. Should you’re utilizing the worm casting, compost, and mulch technique, doing this on all timber is ok.
The very best time to plant strawberries is in mid-September. Planting in heat soil permits the roots to grow to be established. Study extra about the way to develop strawberries on this weblog submit.
Lemons start to ripen in September. Pores and skin coloration will not be all the time an indicator of ripeness, so style the fruit to see when it’s prepared. Fruit shops finest on the tree. The longer the fruit stays on the tree, the sweeter the fruit turns into. Fruit is not going to ripen as soon as picked. Ripe citrus fruit will be left on the tree for as much as 6 months, relying on the variability.
Herb Gardening
The Arizona Herb Planting Information helps you be taught when to plant over 30 herbs in Arizona and whether or not to plant seeds or transplants.
Panorama Duties in September
Planting:
September is an effective time to plant agave, cactus, and yuccas. However October is the finest time to plant most different panorama crops. Should you can wait till then, there will probably be a bigger choice, and plenty of locations (just like the Desert Botanical Backyard) have plant gross sales.
Whereas ready to plant, go searching your neighborhood for crops you want that survived the summer season. Use a plant ID app to determine them. These crops is likely to be good selections to interchange lifeless crops in your yard. Attempt to plant them in the identical publicity. Be aware the mature dimension of the plant and permit sufficient room.
Different panorama duties:
For current crops, when you see new development and temperatures beneath 100℉ (37°C), you’ll be able to start to chop again some perennials and vines.
Amend perennials with compost.
Hose off crops liable to spider mites about as soon as every week.
Pull weeds that emerge after monsoon rains. Don’t allow them to set seed.
Arizona Backyard in September Watering Tips
Take into consideration methods to reap or channel rainfall and direct it in your property. Learn this submit to be taught extra about utilizing rainwater harvesting and swales and berms to gather and use rainwater.
Watering Containers Throughout September
I often water my containers each 3-4 days in September and refill the ollas every time I water. I exploit ollas from Growoya.
Watering Annuals and Backyard Beds Throughout September
As nighttime temperatures decline, progressively lengthen the time between watering. Water to a depth of about 8-12 inches each 2-5 days, permitting the highest of the soil to dry out earlier than watering once more. I often water my raised beds each 3-4 days in September. I exploit the backyard grids from Backyard in Minutes to water them. (Use code Angela10 to save lots of $10 off $100 or GITG5 to save lots of 5 p.c on any dimension order.)
Tree and Vine Watering Tips: 1, 2
When daytime temperatures are beneath 100℉ (37°C), start to regulate the time between watering citrus and different fruit timber to round twice a month. Do that progressively by including 1-2 days onto the watering frequency till your timber are being watered twice a month.
Established citrus timber needs to be watered as soon as each 7-14 days to a 2-3 ft depth.
Water annual fruit and excessive water use vines each 2-5 days to a depth of 8-12″.
Water established fruit timber each 7-10 days to a depth of 18-24″.
Grape vines want deep watering each 5 days.
Water annual fruit and excessive water use vines each 2-5 days to a depth of 8-12″.
Desert-adapted timber, shrubs & vines each 7-21 days (water to a depth of 24-36″ timber / 18-24″ shrubs / 8-12″ vines).
Excessive water use timber each 7-10 days (water to a depth of 18-24″).
Excessive water use shrubs each 5-7 days (water to a depth of 8-12″).
Sources:
1 – For added info on watering practices, go to: “Affiliation of Municipal Water Customers Authority. (2023). Landscaping with Model within the Arizona Desert.” https://www.amwua.org/landscaping-with-style.
2 – https://extension.arizona.edu/websites/extension.arizona.edu/information/pubs/az1151-2021percent20percent282percent29.pdf
