LIFESTYLES

SEPTEMBER IS a busy month. What with the kids going
back to schooi and coming to terms with the end of sum-

mer,

it is easy to forget the needs of the garden. This

checklist may help you to perform those tasks that should
be considered essential for this month.

© Watering — Even though the
evenings are cooling off and sup-
plying the garden with a heavy
dew-fall every night, watering is
still necessary.

Your lawn, trees and shrubs may
not be actively growing, but they
will continue to transpire large
amounts of water during hot, In-
dian summer days.

© Fertilizing — It is too late to
apply growth inducing (high
nitrogen) fertilizers to trees and
shrubs because new growth could
be damaged by early frosts.

The lawn, however, is different.
One more application of a good
lawn food such as 12-4-8 with iron
will help to undo some of the stress
caused by the recent hot weather.
The thicker the lawn is over the
winter months, the fewer problems
will be with moss and weeds.

Try to avoid the use of products
containing ‘Sulphur Coated Urea’
or S.C.U. as this slow release fer-

STUDIO li

(Sofa Bed)

tilizer might continue releasing
nitrogen even after the snow has
begun to fall.

© Seeding/Over-seeding Lawns
— This can be one of the best
times of the year to perform this
task. The previously mentioned,
cool nights and warm days will
quickly germinate the seed.

*® Controlting Leatherjackets —
If the European crane flies (‘flying
daddy-long-iegs’) begin staging an
air show over your lawn, you are
likely to have problems with
leatherjackets next year.

The leatherjacket is a “% inch,
grey-brown, worm-like maggot
that eats the roots of your grass
and acts as a favorite food for rac-
coons.

I wish [ could recommend a
solution that was both practical
and did not involve the use of a
toxic pesticide. Unfortunately, |
cannot. All f can say is, ‘‘Use it
only if absolutely necessary. Read
the label, and follow the instruc-

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By Designer cover extra

tions’’.
Mix Diazinon 12.5 per cent E.C.
at the rate of one tablespoon per

over the
garden gate

Geoff Tobiasson

gallon of water and apply this
solution to 1,000 square feet. The
best time to apply is near the end
of this month or the beginning of
October,

* Deadheading — Continue the
removal of spent flowers from an-

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Friday, September 2, 1988 - North Shore News

nual and perennial flowers. The
flowering season can be prolonged
by denying a plant the opportunity
to produce seed and forcing it to
set new flowers in order to do so.

© Insect and Disease Control —
A regular, close up inspection of
your garden should enable you to
combat most of these problems by
simply removing the affected
parts.

H the problem becomes more
widespread, use the least harmful
product that will produce results.
In all but the nastiest cases, insec-
ticidal soap and or garden sulphur
will do the trick with repeated ap-
plications.

¢ Garden Cleanup -— Depending
on the weather, you will want to
begin removing flowering annuals
in September or October.

Don't wait too long because this
can promote the spread of insects
and disease as well as detracting
from the appearance of the
garden.

° Flowering Bulbs -—— Tulips,
daffodils, hyacinths, crocus, and
all manner of spring Mower bulbs
wil! be arriving at the garden cen-
tres any day now.

If you want the best selection to

choose from, | would suggest get-
ting in there carly. They will be
sold out of some varieties by the
end of the month.

Do not be in too much of a
hurry to plant though. If you get.
them in the ground too early you
may increase the chances of fore-
ing some early sprouting which
could suffer some winter damage.

Make sure you plan before you
visit the garden centre. Once you
are confronted with the glorious
array of color photographs, it
becomes too tempting to buy what
looks good rather than what you
need.

¢ Fall Planting — The coming
months are among the best to
begin major projects in the garden,
Our weather is generally better in
the months of September and Oc-
tober than those of March and
April.

You will have better results if
the plant material can set its roots
in early and become well estabiish-
ed before facing the rigors of the
next years growing season.

Nursery stock (trees and shrubs)
has usually attained 1989 sizes and
is stifl available at 1988 prices.

Well, that should keep you busy.

“COLDEN TOUCH
INEERIODS