Garden calendar includes educational programs

One good thing about our Texas Gulf Coast summers is we get to anticipate and to better appreciate the upcoming fall season. The fall season entices us to venture out from the confines of air-conditioned spaces into our home landscapes.

With the arrival of September, I know that in a few weeks, I can look forward to going outside and being pleasantly re-invigorated from the pleasant weather brought by on a “genuine” cool front. The mere anticipation of cooler days is all that it takes for the ardent gardener to want to till the soil, remove what the summer heat has burned, and plan for a newness of season and spirit. September’s gardening calendar and checklist include the following:

• Square foot gardening: No room in your yard to grow tomatoes or cucumbers? Is your vegetable garden taking up too much space? Then try a different approach.

Certified Master Gardener John Jons will provide a seminar on Square Foot Gardening from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Sept. 18 at the Galveston County Extension Office, 5115 state Highway 3, in Dickinson.

There is no registration fee, but seating is limited, and reservations are required

Call 281-534-3413, Ext. 12, or e-mail galv3(at)wt.net.

Square Foot Gardening has been around for a long time and is a tried and true method for intensive gardening in a small area.

“This popular award-winning program teaches you a proven method on how to successfully grow vegetables, flowers or herbs in a 4-foot-by-4-foot area,” Jons said. “It’s an ideal way of gardening for novice and experienced gardeners who have a limited amount of space and/or time.”

• Fall Pecan Field Day: The Fall Pecan Field Day will be held at 4 p.m. Sept. 28 at Jim Hall’s Pecan Orchard, 11813 28th St., in Santa Fe.

Updates on pecan insect pest management will be provided by Bill Ree, extension program specialist for pecans, Texas A&M.

Additional information will be provided in an upcoming column, but be sure to make a note on your calendar or contact the Galveston County Extension Office for information or visit my website given at the end of this column.

• Master Gardeners Plant Sale: The annual Ornamental and Perennial Seminar and Sale is an “absolute must” for all area gardeners.

This is an early notification so area gardeners can pencil in this popular event on their gardening calendar for Oct. 2.

More than 150 types of perennials, vines, ornamental grasses and flowering shrubs will be available, including many hard-to-find varieties. All activities will be conducted at Carbide Park in La Marque.

For information, visit my website given at the end of this column.

• Lawn disease: In Galveston County, very late September and early October mark the beginning of the brownpatch season on St. Augustine lawns.

The fungus that causes brown patch will become active again with the onset of cooler temperatures.

Treat lawns the last week of September if brownpatch was a severe problem last fall. Apply a fungicide containing triadimefon (such as Greenlight Fung-Away and Bayer Advanced Lawn Fungus Control), or chlorothalonil (such as Daconil 2787), or PCNB (such as Terraclor) to those areas of the lawn with a past history of brownpatch.

Be sure to not overwater and overfertilize the lawn as brownpatch is most likely to be a severe problem in lawns receiving high levels of nitrogen and plenty of water.

• Annuals and perennials: Most areas of the county received decent showers during August while some areas missed out.

Fall flowering annuals and perennials still require plenty of moisture if the flowers are to be attractive. Provide supplemental irrigation as needed to avoid water-stress.

• Pruning: Prune out dead or diseased wood from trees and shrubs. However, hold off on major pruning until midwinter. Pruning now only will stimulate tender new growth, which is highly susceptible to cold injury.

• Fertilization of shrubs: Avoid the use of high-nitrogen fertilizers on shrubs from late September on through early spring. Too much nitrogen applied this late can induce late succulent growth and possible winter injury.

• Divide perennials: Late September is time to divide spring-flowering perennials such as irises, Shasta daisies, gaillardias, cannas, day lilies, violets, liriope and ajuga.

Reset divisions into well-prepared soil with generous amounts of organic material worked into the top 8 to 10 inches.

As the heat of summer gives way to the refreshing coolness of fall, the chores of gardening become quite pleasant.

Dr. William Johnson is a horticulturist with the Galveston County Extension Office of Texas Cooperative Extension, Texas A&M University. Visit his website at http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston.