September
Fall is one of the best times of the year to plant in California. The soil is still warm, and the rainy season is coming. The root systems will become established during the fall and winter, and the plants will be off to a fast start in the spring. Established plants should be fertilized one more time.
Apple Harvest
If you are on the Central Coast this month, apple harvest is in full
swing in See Canyon, between San Luis Obispo and Pismo Beach. On US
101, take the exit that goes west to Avila Beach. Turn right on San
Luis Bay Drive then left on See Canyon Road. There are several apple
farms within a few miles. Unless you are adventurous, go back out the
way you came in. If you want a back country drive, continue on See
Canyon Road back to US 101.
See Canyon is oriented in such a way that the sun goes down very early in the afternoon in the winter. Nights get colder than other areas on the Central Coast, which is just what apples need. Even in the summer, lows are in the 40's. Most of the orchards sell fresh apples and cider. The Avila Valley Barn on Avila Beach Road also sells fresh produce, baked goods and gifts.
If you live on the Central Coast, you can grow apples too. We get more chill here than Southern California. We can grow the low chill varieties, but we can also grow varieties that require more chill hours.
Transplant seedlings of the cool season vegetables and flowers you
sowed last month, or buy six packs from the nursery. Plant ground
covers from flats and shrubs and trees from containers. Cultivate and
amend the soil before planting flowers and vegetables. If you are
planning extensive landscape planting, wait until next month when the
cool and rainy season is closer and water needs are lower.
Fall Planting Time
Buy bulbs now while the selection is best, but put tulips, crocus and hyacinths in the refrigerator for 6 to 8 weeks before planting. Daffodils, muscari, freesia, sparaxis and Dutch iris will naturalize easily in our climate. They get along just fine with not much more water than our winter rains provide. Be sure to add a little super- phosphate to the soil below the bulb.
Lift and store summer bulbs, including glads and dahlias and, when they finish blooming, tuberous begonias.
When selecting new plants for your landscape, keep in mind the ultimate size and shape you need in a plant. There are compact varieties of most popular shrubs. A shrub that does not outgrow its position in the landscape will need only minimal pruning and will be able to retain its natural shape. This is even more important with trees. Give a tree all the room it needs. Choose small trees for small spaces. Trees should never be "topped" or otherwise cut back to stubs.
"Feed the root" -- Roots grow actively during the fall and winter
months, so fertilize lawns, shrubs, trees, ground covers, citrus and
deciduous fruit trees. Fruit trees will absorb the nutrients before
leaf fall and be ready for rapid growth in the spring. So remember
Labor Day almost everything in your garden with a complete
fertilizer.
Fertilize
Many pre-emergent herbicides (weed preventers) are effective for six
to eight months. If you applied one to your rose or shrub beds in
March, it's time for another application now. You must apply a half
inch of water after applying granular weed preventers. You may want to
wait until just before the rains for this application. These
herbicides will prevent the usual crop of winter weeds.
Weed Preventers
Prune any long stems from your hedges and shrubs so new growth will
harden before cold weather arrives. Reach well into the plant to cut
back wild stems. A compact shape provides the greatest protection from
frost. Of course, heavy frosts are rare in USDA Zones 9 and 10, but
they do occur. Remember Christmas 1990?
Fall Pruning
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© 1997 by Jim Clatfelter
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