Every month, we offer tips and hints for the budding gardener - what to do, how do we do it, when to do it - to give you that little bit of extra help everyone needs. Our resident gardening expert, Jim Smith from West Sound Radio, will advise on what needs to be done now, and what preparation is required for what you will need to do soon.

By following our advice, based on over 40 years in the horticulture business, you should find not only your fingers, but your neighbours, turning green!

It's as easy as A, B, C and best of all it's FREE!

This month's tips - September

	Pest and disease control can still be carried out, for if you fail to control pests and diseases now you will store up problems that will lie dormant until next year.
	Collect all leaves affected with Black Spot and burn or dispose of them so that overwintering spores won't survive until next year.
	Weed control is very important, for if weeds are allowed to set and shed their seeds in the autumn the seeds will be in the soil ready to germinate next year. Keep the hoe going when the weather is suitable to save more work later on.
	Plant up bowls of hyacinths to flower during the Christmas period. Make sure you purchase specially prepared bulbs for indoor flowering. Planting the bulbs in containers without drainage holes requires the use of bulb fibre as this encourages root growth and allows moisture to be retained without excluding air.
	Before the first frost lift tender or slightly tender plants such as Fuchsias and Pelergoniums and store them under protection. Take cuttings of tender perennials to keep over the winter in case the parent plant dies.
	Plant bulbs for spring flowering in the garden. Start with Daffodils as they begin their roots earlier than most bulbs.
	Towards mid-September plant out spring flowering plants such as Wallflower, Polyanthus etc. in their flowering positions to give the plants as much time as possible to establish before the winter.
	When buying new plants, choose good healthy stock with firm crowns and foliage. Also choose days for planting when the soil is moist and the weather is not too cold or windy. Water the plants well in. If a dry spell follows, check that they have sufficient water at the roots until they are well established.
	Containers can be cleared this month and refilled with fresh compost then planted up with dwarf bulbs and spring bedding plants such as winter-flowering Pansies.
	Harvest fruit when it is ripe and store apples and pears for use over the winter. Raspberries that have fruited this summer can be cut down to just above the ground and the young canes or spawn tied in their place as these will carry next year's fruit.
	Tender and half-hardy Fuchsia can be watered regularly but carefully as overwatering can do more harm than underwatering. Continue to feed with a high potash fertiliser to help the growth ripen in preparation for winter. (Tomato fertiliser is suitable.)
	The greenhouse can be cleaned and disinfected on a suitable day so that plants in pots can be set outside. Thoroughly clean the glass inside, making sure that the dirt is removed from the overlapping panes using a flexible plastic plant label.
	Remove the shading from the outside of the glass. If Coolglass was used, this can be cleaned off with a dry cloth.
	Lawns can be treated this month with mosskiller before scarifying really well to remove thatch and moss. Apply an autumn fertiliser which is high in potash, as this will boost root growth and firm up the grass for winter. Don't use a spring and summer fertiliser, as this adds too much nitrogen and makes the grass soft.

Submit a tip

Would you like to submit your own tip? If so then please use our submission form below. Name (required): Email (optional): Your tip: