September 2024

Although September is still pretty much a summer month in Oklahoma, it means cooler fall weather and more rain are coming soon, thank goodness. Even though the autumn equinox is the official start of fall on September 22nd, plants are still growing and need the same care they needed all summer mainly watering, deadheading, watering, weeding, and more watering right now. Remember to water early, water deeply, and water 1” to 1 1/2” twice a week while it is so hot for established plantings and more often for new plantings. Containers require watering once or twice a day while it is so hot. In southern Oklahoma, we have had many days with temperatures above 100 with no rain so, hopefully, Mother Nature is ready to give us a break and some cool rainy fall weather. I am really tired of dragging hoses just to keep things alive, deadheading to keep things blooming, and keeping on top of weed removal (prostrate spurge is evil) in this heat; however, what we do in the garden now is extremely important because it determines the success of our spring gardens so it is worth the extra effort now for just a little while longer.