"Give weeds an inch and they'll take a yard."
* FERTILIZE: Give outdoor plants - roses, trees, flower beds - final fertilizing by the end of the month. Slow-acting fertilizers like ammonium sulfate, ammonium phosphate, fish emulsion, bone or blood meal, well-composted manure, and compost will break down during the following weeks and you should see healthy new growth in 3 to 4 weeks. This last feeding will help prepare your plant for the winter months ahead. If you wait too long to fertilize - mid-September or October - the new growth will be appearing in early November, much too close to the first frost date. New growth is always more susceptible to frost damage. Follow fertilizer directions carefully.
* START PLANNING YOUR SPRING WILDFLOWER GARDEN: If you are planning a spring wildflower garden, start gathering seeds this month. Ninety percent of desert wildflowers are of the "sow direct in fall" variety. Check with area nurseries for wildflower seed packets, and be sure to check mail order suppliers as well. A call to our Sierra Vista office on a weekday morning will get you a list of sources for native and adapted seeds. Spend some time preparing your wildflower bed. Although desert wildflowers self-seed in unimproved soil, you will increase your germination rate tremendously by loosening up the soil and adding a small quantity of organic matter. Most desert wildflowers require well-drained soil and full sun.
* WATCH FOR NUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES: If you have been fertilizing your gardens through the growing season, you should not be seeing deficiency symptoms. The following is a review of some common symptoms: NITROGEN - leaves are pale green or yellow throughout, older or lower leaves are more severely affected, top growth is stunted, leaves drop early; PHOSPHORUS - leaves are reddish or purple tinted, growth slows, roots and seeds fail to develop, symptoms worsen in cooler weather; IRON - leaf veins are green but rest of leaf is yellow, newer leaves and ends of branches are more severely affected; ZINC - over all yellowing of leaves though tips may stay green, leaves are small and clustered, foliage clusters at ends of branches ("pom-pom effect"), much like iron deficiency in appearance. Severe iron and zinc deficiencies can be corrected quickly using a foliar spray. Make sure the iron is in the chelated form.
* OTHER PROBLEMS TO WATCH FOR: Sunburn - large white spots develop on tops of leaves, usually in the center, which then turn brown. Salt-burn - burning starts at edges of leaves and moves inward, on narrow leaves it starts at tips and works down. Overwatering - roots begin to rot, plant is wilted even if you give it additional water, soil around plant never dries, internal leaves yellow and drop. Texas root rot - attacks quickly, initially resembles sunburn, watch for white spore mat beneath tree, plant dies but leaves remain on plant, positive diagnosis requires examining roots under microscope. Cicadas - dead branch ends with brown leaves, look for chewing marks on the branches. Chewing insects - random holes or skeletonized leaves indicates beetles, whole leaf being consumed except veins indicates caterpillars, tunneling between leaf surfaces indicates leaf miner. Sucking insects - small white or yellow spots indicate presence of aphids, spider mites, plant bugs, leafhoppers, etc. The most positive identification you can make is to find the offending bug on the damaged plant. When you see damage, look for the source before resorting to a wide spectrum pesticide. By targeting a specific pest, you may be able to avoid killing the "good guys" ladybird beetles, praying mantis, lacewings - along with the bad.
* PROLONGING ANNUALS: Pinching off spent blossoms will encourage plants to continue flowering. It redirects plant energies into flower production rather than seed formation. You can cut back your spring planted tomatoes to encourage them to produce a fall crop. Cut them back to about one-third their current height. Remember to give them some fertilizer to fuel this new growth.
* PLANT COOL-SEASON VEGIES: Plant cabbage, carrots, chard, kale, lettuce, potatoes, spinach, and turnips.
* PLANT COOL-SEASON FLOWER SEEDS: Sow calendulas, carnations, pansies, Iceland poppies, snapdragons, and violas for fall color.
* STAY ONE STEP AHEAD OF YOUR WEEDS: When admiring your garden each morning keep pulling up those tiny weeds that pop up overnight. With all the rain we've been having, tiny weeds can become big problems very quickly.