Topical Tips


	TOPICAL TIPS-SEPTEMBER

	Tidy up Time!

	Autumn lawn care Now is the perfect time to prepare your lawn, ready for next year. Either re-seeding if your lawn is too patchy, or to green it up and bulk it out, feed with a granular Autumn lawn feed such as Evergreen Autumn.
	Stop those weeds Covering the soil with a ground cover sheet will help keep those nasty weeds at bay, next year once you are ready, simply take the ground cover sheet off and give the clear soil a quick dig over ready for planting. A good alternative to this is planting green manure to grow over the open ground to suppress the weeds, when you are ready, dig the green manure into the soil, providing it with a good source of nitrogen.


	Clear up leaves Fallen leaves can be a problem if you don't clear them up now. Collect them up using a blow vac or a plastic leaf rake and collectors. Once your leaves have been collected place them on the compost heap or simply burn them in an incinerator/chimenea to prevent any fungal diseases from spreading.
	Rehousing your tender plants Check plants that you have put outside for the Summer months before you bring them back in. Red Spider Mite, White Fly and Scale insects are quite common and will enjoy being indoors over Winter, the plants can do without the company! Treat the plant with Provado Ultimate Bug Killer and ensure any re-applications are made before bringing indoors. Initially put the plants in the brightest room as they will take some time to acclimatize. Don't worry if they drop leaves as this is normal and they will recover within a few weeks.

	Winter baskets & pots Don't fancy digging in the crisp cold Autumn and Winter air? Containers make lovely statements, and often provide more result for less work if done thoughtfully. Try out some of the wonderful texture of Euphorbias, you will be amazed at the results. Add colour with Ferns, Pansies and Cyclamen while cascading with trailers like Thyme or Ivy. Spring is never too far away, so planting Dwarf Flowering Bulbs (Narcissus Tete-a-Tete is an old favourite) in your containers will keep the show alive well into March. Always ensure your pot has feet for airflow underneath, crock for drainage, and a good quality compost like Miracle Gro Moisture Control.
	Winter bedding The choice of Winter Bedding is growing every year. Use Winter Cabbages and Kales for some vital colour and excellent textures. Plant your Wallflowers now for masses of early Spring colour. Inject colour with Pansy and Violas as well as Polyanthus and Primrose.

	The Edible Garden Now that we are starting to harvest top fruit and soft fruit, we turn our attention to planting for the Autumn and Winter Season. Plan ahead, to get your varieties of Apples, Pears, Cherries, as well as Raspberries and Blueberries. The Winter Brassicas and Leeks will shortly become available along with Onion Sets.