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North Mississippi Gardening Tips
September, 2001

Annual Flowers and Vines

If you have beautiful plants of coleus, geranium, begonia and impatiens and dread the thought of these plants being reduced to mush by the first freeze, now is the time to take cuttings to overwinter. Root cuttings in a porous mix of peat and perlite. Take cuttings several times until just before the first predicted freeze and you should have plenty of "babies" to bring indoors.

Check to see if potted tropicals such as hibiscus, allamanda, ixora or mandevilla need repotting before bringing in for the winter. Gently ease the root ball out of the pot. If the roots are visibly matted around the bottom or sides of the root ball, it is time to pot into a larger container.

Bulbs

Divide and replant bearded iris this month. Cull out diseased or old rhizomes replanting only the healthy, young plants. Always plant them shallowly in full sun and well-drained soil.

Even though spring flowering bulbs are arriving at stores, this is not the best time to plant. Buy now for the best selection and quality; then store the bulbs in a cool, dry place, such as a garage, basement, or the vegetable compartment of your refrigerator. When the ground begins to cool (usually mid to late October in north Mississippi) you can plant the bulbs outside. Waiting to plant in cool soil encourages root growth without the premature initiation and growth of the foliage.

Container Gardens

This month can be very dry, so keep a close eye on the moisture in your containers of plants. It doesn't take but one severe wilting of the plants to ruin the quality of the container display.

It is time to purchase those mums, marigolds, flowering cabbage, flowering kale and other traditional fall plants to decorate your landscape. Rather than spend a fortune and redo your entire landscape in fall flowers, why not group containers of these plants to create focal points around your yard. Areas to accent with a grouping of containers would be by the door, by the mailbox, at the ends or curves in walkways, outside a picture window, etc. Group different sized and shaped containers planted with varying textures, shapes and colors of plant material to give your fall display that professional look.

Fruit

Late summer, when pecan kernels are forming, is a critical time for moisture stress. Pecans should get at least one inch of water weekly. Mature trees can lose hundreds of gallons of water daily through transpiration; unless this lost moisture is replaced, the trees will lose fruit and leaves. Mow carefully around the trees to remove vegetation that can use the trees' moisture. Mowing also creates a smooth layer for harvesting.

Do not fertilize or prune fruit trees, bush fruits or semi-bush fruits this month. Fertilizing now could adversely affect bud formation. Next year's crop will be set on this year's growth so any pruning done now will reduce fruit yields next year.

Groundcovers and Lawns

Cool season turfgrasses, such as Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue and creeping red fescue can be seeded September 1st until November 1st. All established cool season lawns should be fertilized once this month. Do not fertilize warm season lawns (Bermuda and zoysia) now. Refer to Extension publication 1322, "Establish and Manage Your Home Lawn" for suggested fertilizer rates or consult a knowledgeable person at your local garden center or nursery.

If you overseed your warm season lawn with a temporary winter lawn grass like annual ryegrass, the optimum dates to do this are September 1st until November 1st.

Perennial Flowers and Vines

Sow seeds of most perennial wildflowers, especially spring and early summer bloomers, in the fall from September through November. They are naturally adapted to and benefit from fall rains and cold winter soils. Rather than use packaged mixes of wildflower seeds, it is generally more satisfactory to sow single species of wildflowers adapted to an area, or mix several recommended ones together for a specific effect.

Continue to seed cold hardy perennial and biennial flowers directly into prepared beds. Good choices for fall sowing would be hollyhock, foxglove, purple coneflower, rudbeckia, dianthus, hesperis and lunaria.

Continue to fertilize perennials every six to eight weeks for the remainder of the growing season. This will encourage lush growth and more blooms, particularly on the fall bloomers.

Trees and Shrubs

Avoid severe pruning this time of year, as it may encourage new growth that will not have time to harden off before frost. Light pruning or "heading back," however, can be done at any time. Just remember that if you prune spring flowering shrubs now, you'll be removing flowerbuds as well.

Fall is an ideal time to plant ball-and-burlap or container plants into the landscape. Days are warm enough for you to enjoy the outdoors, and the nights are cool. These cool nights allow roots to develop a strong system before the onset of winter. Also, adequate rainfall usually occurs on a regular basis, so additional watering is not usually necessary.

Plant deciduous trees on the south and west sides of buildings to provide summer shade and to allow the winter sun to warm the buildings.

Vegetables and Herbs

Ready to try something different for the fall vegetable garden? How about trying your hand at growing the fancy mix of specialty greens referred to as mesclun? What exactly is mesclun? In the garden world it refers to a whole range of salad plants and a way of growing them. Because of its variable nature, meslun is a very personal crop. The word mesclun means "mixture' in French. The Europeans typically mix several types of mild lettuces with other types of greens that have a peppery or "strong" taste, such as chicory, arugula or mustard.

If you've ever eaten mesclun at a fancy restaurant, you probably think of it as an expensive delicacy. Actually, it is an ideal, easy to grow fall garden crop. These plants are no harder to grow than regular lettuce or other greens. Some nurseries or garden centers carry these specialty greens in cell packs or seed can be purchased to sow directly in your garden.

When you put a bowl of these colorful and tasty salad greens on the table your friends and family will surely be impressed with your gardening talents, especially after you tell them that highbrow diners in the fanciest American and European restaurants pay big money for this stuff! If they are not suitably impressed, tell them they should feel honored and privileged to know a person such as yourself with the rare talent to grow and serve this delicacy-no one need know how easy it really is!

Lelia Scott Kelly, Ph.D., writes North Mississippi Gardening Tips monthly and is a Horticulture Specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. Her office is in the North Mississippi Research & Extension Center, Verona.