Amateur Gardening 1-Sep-2018

AT the time of writing the heat is showing no signs of abating and the newspapers are talking about an Indian summer stretching on for several more weeks. But with September now here, it is time to look ahead and plan for autumn and winter. Who knows what is waiting in the wings – there’s no complete protection from something like last year’s Beast from the East – but there are certain preparations you can make to give the garden a fighting chance of coming through as well as possible. Keeping plants healthy makes them less vulnerable to problems, so water and mulch but avoid feeding them now, as this will encourage fresh growth that may be killed by colder weather. One of the most important jobs is to cut back any perennials…

1 Rake up leaves as soon as they start to fall, so they don’t stop sunlight getting to the grass and encouraging damp and mould. 2 Store the leaves in a simple homemade leafmould bin. Hammer four tree supports into the ground and staple wire mesh around them. 3 Alternatively, keep leaves in black plastic bin liners that have had holes punched into their sides. Keep the leaves damp to speed up decomposition. 4 When the ground is wet, tip the compost or leafmould onto borders, rake it over and leave it to break down naturally and enrich your soil.…

TIDINESS is not my natural state, which means that by the end of the summer the shed looks like a tornado has blown through it. Having a good sort out now, when the garden is quieter, lets you assess what equipment you need to replace, and what can be cleaned and put away for next year. Be ruthless – get rid of old cracked pots and duplicate tools, throw out split canes and check old seed packets to see if they are still in date. Tools you are keeping should be cleaned, sharpened and oiled; pots that are sound enough to re-use should be washed; and old chemicals should be stored properly or disposed of. Never pour unwanted pesticides or weedkillers down the drain as they will end up in the watercourse and…

PITY our poor lawns. They have carried the weight of the hot, dry summer and most have become crunchy plains of moss and desiccated grass. But don’t worry, September is the best month to undertake autumn care and repair, and a few days of rain will soon see your blades greening up again. Lawns will need a little extra TLC after the battering they have had, so start now to help your grass survive the oncoming autumn and winter weather with as few problems as possible. If grass has become sparse and weak-rooted during the summer, allowing weeds and moss to prevail, you should over-sow it with fresh lawn seed after raking out the thatch (excess moss). You can also kill off moss with an appropriate treatment (some are combined with season-appropriate lawn…

Lawn problems aren’t just caused by the elements – pest larvae do serious damage too. Chafer grubs, active between now and spring, live underground and eat the roots of grasses. Leatherjackets, the larvae of crane flies (daddy long-legs) are active towards the end of winter and do the same. Symptoms include yellow patches of dead grass and damage caused by birds digging up the lawn to get at the grubs. Both pests can be controlled using nematodes. Alternatively, lay carpet on the troubled area of lawn, and when the grubs come to the surface you can pick them off after lifting the carpet.…

1 Keep mower blades high when cutting very dry grass and let the fine clippings fall back onto the lawn to act as mulch, holding in the moisture. 2 Remove individual perennial weeds using a proprietary weed puller. If a hole or bare patch is left behind, sow it with fresh lawn seed. 3 Aerate the turf by sinking the tines of a garden fork 2-3in (5-7cm) into the lawn. This lets air and water down to the roots, improving the grass. 4 Re-sow bare soil. Fork over the soil, water, scatter the recommended amount of seed, water again and protect against disturbance by pests.…