Monthly Landscape & Garden Tips (September)

Planting season is finally here! The cooler evenings paired with warm fall days is the perfect sign that the fall planting season has arrived!  Trees and plants establish extremely well this time of year and annuals and perennials are beginning to bud and bloom, ready to put on a spectacular show of color.

Now that we are transitioning out of the hotter summer months there are a few things we need to do to make sure we have our landscape and gardens in check so everything has its best chance of growing.

To Do List:

• Watering: With the cooler evenings and cooler days, we are going to have to start thinking about watering less on our plants, trees, and lawns. All of our new trees are going to need water 1-3x per week depending on tree and plant type as well as temperature. Once our daytime temps reach 85-100 degrees is typically the time we back down from our summer watering schedule. Remember different types of plants as well as planting location plays a big factor in how much water your plants need. If you need more help please contact one of our nursery pros at your nearest Moon Valley Nursery location. During the fall months, we can also save water by reducing the amount that we give to our lawns. The cooler nights and cooler days are going to translate into the ground retaining moisture longer thus permitting us to use less water going forward. The amount of water should not be cut back, however, the frequency at which you water your lawn will be reduced. This is also the time of year that you should be considering whether or not you are going to be over-seeding your winter lawn.
• Fertilize: Now is the best time to be fertilizing all of your plants, trees, flowers, vegetables and lawns. This is the growing season and this is when your trees and plants are going to be utilizing the most nutrients. Everything should be feed with the proper fertilizer to ensure optimal growth during this crucial time. Moon Juice is a staple that should be used on all your trees, plants, flowers, vegetables and more all year round. This makes your watering more effective as well as making the nutrients more readily available for the plants and trees to uptake. The entire brand of Moon Valley fertilizers can be used now on everything from turf, palms, desert trees, shade trees, palms and more. Click here to see all of our fertilizers 
• Tree Care: Since everything is now starting to grow again we have to think ahead about proper care and trimming. Making sure you have your landscapes well cared for is a vital part in making sure you protect your investment. This time of year we can trim off any dead or sun damaged that may have occurred over the summer, cut back any excessive branches or some that may have been damaged by summer storms and also clean all of our citrus and fruit trees of unwanted suckers.

What to plant:

Crape Myrtle
The Crape Myrtle is a great way to brighten up any landscape! We grow our own strand of Crape Myrtle insuring you are getting the strongest,  and healthiest Crape Myrtles. These trees grow to an ideal height, establishing the canopy quickly and evenly. Our Crape Myrtles have the longest bloom cycles out of any other Crape Myrtle! With their low water needs,  low maintence and multiple colors of flower this is the perfect tree to plant to add some vibrant color to your yard!

Tipu
The Tipu is a great tree in any landscape for quickly creating massive canopies of shade to cool your home, shade a patio or protect the other plants in your yard. It also requires little maintenance as it does extremely well in many soil and drought-like conditions. Because of its toughness it has quickly become a favorite street-lining tree in many areas and as the shade producer in many of our home landscapes. This is also one of the best water wise trees around. 

Chinese Elm
A top performing shade tree in our region, the Chinese Elm is a widely popular for good reasons. It is very tolerant to poor soil, poor weather, and can still provide the large, wide shade that it's known for. It loves growing in the full sun and provides a massive canopy of shade at an early age. The Chinese Elm is also known as the “Evergreen Elm”. In very mild winters, Chinese Elms can retain their leaves throughout the season. In warmer months, the Chinese Elm boasts dark green foliage on an umbrella-shaped shade canopy. 

Carolina Cherry
Native to the Southeastern United States, the Carolina Cherry has become a popular choice for its minimal maintenance, natural upright conical shape, and ability to tolerate heat, drought, and wind. The Carolina Cherry is a small to medium-sized evergreen with dark green, lustrous wavy-edged foliage on brown thornless stems. They can be easily sheared into a tall screen or sound barrier which make them a near-perfect option for many homes. 

Piru Queen Palm
Specially grown at our farms, the Piru Queen Palm is unlike other Queen Palms. Our Piru Queen Palms feature thicker and harder trunks, denser and greener fronds, and produce fuller crowns. Our Queen Palms can handle hot summers, cold winters, and windy days. The palm is supported by a rounded trunk which makes it ideal in tight spaces around your pool, but it does require overhead space as the palm grows to statuesque heights. Read more about what makes our Piru Queen Palm so special.

Pygmy Date Palm
This statuesque palm features many trunks of varying height or it can be grown with just a single trunk. Great for small spaces and accent locations near your pool, the Pygmy Date Palm is a slow grower and adapts well to sun and shade. Moon Valley Nurseries Pygmy Date Palms have been custom grown at our farms to ensure that the palm generates thicker trunks, and  fuller crowns.