September

• Ensure houseplants get fed this month in anticipation of winter dormancy.
• Fall is a great time to plant and plan landscaping projects. Think about improving walkways and building flower/vegetable beds, as well as adding focal point shrubs and trees. Need guidance? Contact Sloat’s Garden staff for expert advice.
• We have plants & pottery to brighten your home this fall and winter.
• Choose and plant Pansies, Violas, Mums, Stock, Snapdragons, Iceland Poppies and Cyclamen for great fall color.
• Plant fall vegetables: kale, collard, spinach, arugula, peas and lettuces.
• Plant leeks and onions from seed or young plants to avoid early spring bolting.
• Fertilize azaleas, camellias and rhododendrons with E.B. Stone Organics Ultra Bloom Fertilizer (0-10-10) to stimulate bud formation for winter/spring bloom and develop a hardier root structure. Supplement with Greenall FST to keep acid loving plants green.
• Aerate compacted soil with a digging fork or aeration tool.
• Containers, summer annuals and cool season annuals will enjoy monthly feeding, at this time of year, with Maxsea Bloom fertilizer.
• Reduce spider mites, scale and other insect pests by taking houseplants outside and spraying them down with the hose in a partial shade area. Keeping the foliage dust free is key in controlling indoor pests. Use Organocide, Neem, or All Season’s Oil if insects are already a problem.
• How does your indoor garden grow? Adopt a new family member from our large selection of houseplants.
• Keep the garden clean. Pick up fallen fruit to avoid pests and disease next year. Clean out plant debris.
• Prepare soil with Loam Builder and E.B. Stone Naturals Agricultural Lime for fall vegetable beds. Cabbages and kales need a good source of calcium to grow best. You can foliar feed calcium with Monterey Foli-Cal.
• Mulch to inhibit weeds and conserve moisture.
• Identify any pest or disease issues on deciduous fruit and shade trees and shrubs now so that you are prepared to treat issues this winter.
• Need help diagnosing a problem? Bring bugs or diseased samples in a sealed plastic bag into the store for a diagnosis.
• Remove leaves covering pumpkins to help ripen fruit.
• Cut back fruited canes of raspberries, leaving new canes for fruiting next year.
• Plant green manure & cover crops such as fava beans and clovers to fix nitrogen in the soil and improve soil structure.
• After harvesting summer crops, compost the leftover plants, excluding diseased leaves.
• Use caulk to seal up ant entries into your home.
• Manage aphids and scale on outdoor and indoor plants to discourage ants.

Curious if we have your favorite plant or product in stock? Call one of our locations directly, and we'll be happy to check.