Signs and Signals

September 2016

Pickaway to Garden

Signs and Signals

By Paul Hang

The full moon in September will be on the 16^th. It will be the Harvest Moon.  The Autumnal Equinox will occur September 22. On that date the Sun rises and sets at almost true East and West. Also at this date the days and nights will be almost equal. This will happen again at the spring equinox in March. The equinox also marks the end of summer and the beginning of fall. These measurements of astronomical events help me to get my bearings in the solar system, just as the movements of the stars help me to get my bearings in the Universe. However, when it comes to the seasons, these measurements are just so many seemingly artificial abstractions. When fall arrives we will know it not by looking at the calendar but by our experience of natural events.

Sumac and Virginia creeper are the first to signal what’s to come. They are the flickering embers that will ignite the conflagration of color that is the true signature of fall. Cool days and nights, if we are lucky enough to have them, will whisper in our ear the rumor that the season has arrived. Interestingly, it is not Jack Frost but the length of sunlight that sets the spark that will burst into the flame of October. The trees will be (some have already started) withdrawing the chlorophyll and nutrients from leaves down to their roots. Without the green the underlying colors are revealed.

Other signs that September shows are the blooming of goldenrod and asters, goldfinches are scurrying around coneflowers and thistles gathering seeds for their young that have recently hatched or fledged.  You may also notice more caterpillars on plants. Hairy caterpillars are best not handled. Although most are harmless there are some that can cause painful stings. Ripening tomatoes is another sign. With the recent abundant rains the excess water has caused splitting that often causes rot making some of them inedible. Amending our clay soils to make them well drained is a way of combatting this problem. Adding organic matter is a way of helping soils to drain better. With the recent heat tomatoes are not looking their best but still delicious.

The evening chorus of katydids, grasshoppers and crickets is lessening. The experience is like the moment in an enjoyable concert or program when you realize it is coming to an end that you both regret and yet anticipate. It is these signs that tell us the season is changing, much more so than any date on a calendar or subtle movement of the sun.

OSU Extension is a wealth of information if you search. A recent timely article “A Tomato A Day” can be found at livesmartohio.osu.edu Who doesn’t want to live smart? As I have mentioned before, ohioline.osu.edu and bygl.osu.edu are other sites that offer lots of information. The livesmart and bygl sites have the option of receiving periodic emails, if you sign up.

Things to do in the garden:

As plants "give up the ghost" remove them from the garden. If they are annuals pull them up, if perennials cut them off unless you want their winter interest. Dispose of the debris in a "hot" compost heap, bury them or put them in the trash. In the butterfly garden you will surely want to leave the host plants as they are harboring the overwintering eggs and larvae of next year’s butterflies. Those plants that you don’t want to re-seed by all means remove the seed heads before their seeds are scattered. Or, leave them for the birds. Clean up old fruit from around fruit trees.

Collect, dry, and store seeds for next year. Use only heirloom varieties, hybrids will not grow true. Harvest and cure winter squash and gourds if they are ready. Leave a two inch stem. Gourds should be finished with growth before you cut them from the vine, store indoors at 60 degrees.

September is the best time to plant grass seed whether you are re-seeding, patching or establishing a new lawn. If you only fertilize your lawn once a year, or if you have never fertilized it, fall is also the best time to do it. Cooler, wetter (usually) fall weather promotes good root growth and your grass will start out next spring healthier and ready for more vigorous growth. Want to really get your lawn in shape? Fertilize in September and then again around Thanksgiving. Labor Day and Veterans’ Day are easy to remember. Read directions for amounts. This is also the best time to plant trees and shrubs.

In those areas that are not to be fall planted, plant a cover crop or “green manure” that will be turned in in the spring. Buckwheat, annual rye, sweet clover, winter barley, wheat, soybeans, alfalfa, and hairy vetch make good green manures.

Now is the time to plant spring flowering bulbs. A good rule of thumb is to plant bulbs at a depth about three times the height of the bulb. Planting irises and peonies this fall takes advantage of the warm earth. They should be planted about 2 inches deep. If your peonies haven’t bloomed well because of shade from nearby competing trees, now is a good time to move them to a sunnier place in the yard.

Watch for yellowing of gladiolus leaves. Dig the corms and hang until the tops turn brown. Then store in a cool, not freezing, well ventilated basement or garage. Do the same with caladium, cannas, and dahlias when their tops turn brown. Fall is a good time to divide Lily of the Valley, primroses, peonies, day lilies, coral-bells and bleeding heart. Adding bulb food and humus will be rewarded in the spring.

You can plant onion seed now for early green onions and bulbs. Yes, onions are bulbs. You can still plant cool season vegetables. It’s not too late to start beets, carrots, kale and lettuce, maybe even bush beans! If you have row covers, or can make them, you can have greens for Thanksgiving dinner. Of course this assumes we don’t have a hard freeze and if we do you are prepared to cover the plants if it happens. If the ground temperature stays above 50 roots continue to grow.

Now is a good time to test your soil. The called for amendments will have time to work their way into the soil and be available to the plants for the next growing season. Information on soil testing is available at the OSU Extension Office 474-7534.