Gardening in September

All the garden hints and tips from the experts at Starke Ayres, West Coast Village.

• This month at Starke Ayres Garden Centres we celebrate Arbour week. Every year, two trees are named as Tree of the Year in the lead up to Arbour Week. One common and one rare species are chosen to raise public awareness about the diversity of trees significant to the country. In 2018, South Africans will celebrate the Yellowood , Genus Podocarpus, P. elongatus, P. falcatus, P. henkelii, P. latifolius as the common tree and Boscia albitrunca Shepherd’s tree, Witgatas as the rare tree. 


• Anyone who is a fan of Asparagus, but not the price can now grow their own. Starke Ayres Garden Centres have secured stock of 3 year old Asparagus crowns of an F2 Cultivar UC157 Hybrid which is one of the two most popular commercial varieties grown in the world. Follow us on Facebook on how to best plant and harvest your asparagus to ensure the highest crop yield. 


• Plant summer vegetable varieties in your veggie patch such as Chillies, Peppers, Tomatoes, Patty Pans, Cucumber, Squash, Pumpkin, Beans and Brussel Sprouts. Sowing seeds is simple when you use the Magic Seeder . It will cope with seeds up to 2 mm in size. It is ideal for accurate sowing of seeds in plug or seed trays prepared with Palm Peat or Culterra Germination mix. 


• New and Exciting !!! Grow your own potatoes with the Potato Pot, a two-part system. Plant three seed potatoes in the inner pot and in approximately eight weeks you can begin harvesting your own potatoes by raising the inner pot to expose the growing potatoes. Stagger plantings to enjoy succession crops. 


• Spring Bulbs will be on our shelves very soon. Gladioli, Dahlia, Zantedeschia, Crocosmia, Polianthes and Nerine Bowdenii will once again reveal their splendour, reminding us of how wonderful nature is. 


• Watering indoor plants can be tricky to some, not knowing how much or how often to water. With the new Smart Irrigator and Diffus’o inexpensive watering devices, you can now conveniently water your indoor plants even when you are away for up to 30 days.

• Lawns require a boost in spring, Talborne 5:1:5 fertilisers are organic and slow release and only needs to be applied 3 monthly. All other chemical options should be applied 6 weekly. If your lawn is sparse now is a good time to plant grass plugs and lightly top dress with one of our weed-free lawn dressing. Starke Ayres Lawn Seed is easily sown to thicken your stand of turf and offer solutions for low light or water-wise.

• Clivias, commonly known as bush lilies, bring spectacular colour to any shady area of your garden during the month of September. They are very easy to care for, are indigenous and water-wise. Plant them in Culterra’s Clivia Mix, a specially formulated organic medium with an added slow-release fertiliser. Feed Clivias and all other spring flowering shrubs with Atlantic Fertiliser Flower and Fruit, Talborne 3:1:5 or Culterra Multisol “K”.

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