Evergreens
September is the best time to work on pines. Needles more than 2 years old should be plucked. Pruning, wiring and styling can take place at this time with success. Read some of the fine articles written by members in the last few years, or check out some of the fine books in the club's library.
Regular trimming and maintenance of trees can still happen at this time of the year but should not be done to excess. There is little time for trees to recover from drastic "surgery."
Deciduous
At this time of the year decidious trees are getting ready for dormancy. You will notice the "changing of the leaves" begins, as some turn from green to yellows, reds and browns. It is a good idea to slowly reduce water, since trees are no longer actively growing and are "shutting down" their leaves in preparation for winter. Don't, however, allow them to dry out; dehydration is not a prerequisite for dormancy, and do not feed them at this time of the year.
Fertilizer at this time might encourage new growth to begin. This growth will be a liability for the tree: it cannot afford to waste nutrients on growth, and it will not have sufficient time for this new growth to become winter hardy, thus leading to its loss.
Tropicals
This is also the month that houseplants and tender tropical bonsai trees should be brought inside. Remember that the conditions in your house or apartment are radically different from those encountered by your trees while out in the garden or on the balcony. Both light availability and humidity will be significantly lower than your trees were used to outside.
Just as you acclimatized your tropicals plants to the outside conditions in the spring, so should you allow them to get used to indoor conditions. That means that early in the month you move them into lower light areas outside in order to lessen the shock when you do bring them inside before the first frost is expected later in the month. Some tropicals, such as ficus trees, can easily survive a light frost, but others cannot, so beware!
Your trees no doubt enjoyed their summer outside and rewarded you with ample growth, and perhaps plentiful flowers as well. However, when your plants must be brought into the house, precautions should be taken by you to eliminate as many pests as possible, that might have taken up residence under leaves or in the soil. In nature natural predators take care of most pests on your trees. Inside, you must be that predator, else the bugs can run wild.
A thorough spraying of both sides of the leaves and a good soil drench with pesticide is called for. Nowadays most powerful pesticides have been removed from the market, thus limiting your choice of weapon. I would suggest you try "malathion" for both of these functions, or insecticidal soap. With insecticidal soap, my recommendation is that you literally submerge the planter in the solution and then drain it. Also in both cases, spray both sides of the leaves to the point where pesticide or soap readily run off the leaves.
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