Plant
• Trees, shrubs and other nursery stock, including crape myrtles. Water by hand every 2-3 days into fall, as plants will dry out more quickly than adjacent soil.
• Sow beans, squash, corn, cucumber seeds early in month in East Texas.
• Set out transplants of marigolds, zinnias, celosias for fall color.
• Fall-flowering bulbs are available in nurseries this month.
• Use 1-gallon or 6-inch pots of mums, fall asters, Mexican bush sage and other fall color plants.
• Sow acid treated bluebonnet seeds and other wildflower seeds late in month. Give them full sun and dedicated beds free of weeds and grasses.
Trim
• Summer flowering perennials such as coneflowers, cannas, daylilies, mallows and others to remove old leaf and stem stubble.
• Shear annuals that have grown spindly to rejuvenate them for fall bloom, including begonias, coleus, impatiens, petunias, copper plants and lantanas.
• Trim bush roses by one-third by mid month to promote good fall growth and flower bud production.
• Mow on 4- or 5-day intervals.
• Crape myrtles early in month to remove seed heads and to promote one last round of flowers.
Fertilize
• Use quality high nitrogen fertilizer with Bermuda grass if it’s been more than 8 weeks since last feeding.
• Apply water-soluble, complete and balanced fertilizer to container plants to keep them growing vigorously into fall.
• Roses benefit from specialty rose food applied first half of month to promote fall flowers.
• Last month to apply iron/sulfur additives to correct iron deficiency.