Overview
- September remains an active month for home gardens with ongoing harvesting, planting of perennials and bulbs, and the need to keep new plantings watered until they establish.
- Lawn recovery should focus on two often‑overlooked tasks: regularly raking fallen leaves to prevent smothering and aerifying compacted turf to improve drainage and root oxygen supply.
- Autumn overseeding can work well because residual soil warmth and autumn rains aid germination, but gardeners should wait to sow only while soil temperatures are near 10–12°C and aim to seed soon so grass has time to establish before winter.
- Avoid late high‑nitrogen fertiliser because it promotes soft new growth that may not harden before cold weather; if fertilising is needed choose formulations higher in potassium and follow product guidance.
- Follow ecological and legal rules by leaving seedheads and dried stems where they benefit wildlife, removing diseased material, using nonchemical pest controls when possible, and not carrying out heavy hedge cutting until October 1 under the Federal Nature Conservation Act.