With the air beginning to cool down for the year and leaves falling to the ground, many assume autumn has already arrived. However, experts warn that rushing into autumn-specific gardening tasks could do more harm than good.
What’s actually hitting UK gardens right now is a phenomenon known as “false autumn,” a survival response from plants pushed to their limits after the record-breaking summer heat. According to the Met Office, extreme conditions can trick plants into behaving as if the season has changed, even while it’s still officially summer. Gardeners who carry out certain jobs too early are at risk of damaging their plants and soil, undoing months of summer effort.
Liam Cleary, gardening expert at outdoor furniture specialists, Old Railway Line Garden Centre, has urged gardeners to think twice before doing certain jobs outdoors.
He warned: “It’s a common mistake to assume autumn starts the moment leaves brown. False autumn is a stress response, not a sign that it’s safe to prune or feed. Doing so too early can weaken plants, leaving them vulnerable to frost and disease when the real autumn arrives.”
Gardening jobs for September
Instead of pruning and potentially harming your plants before autumn truly kicks in, there are a few other jobs which gardeners can do this month. One of these is continuing to feed your plants, not cutting them back.
If they look a bit stressed, a light liquid feed can help them to gain more energy before it’s time for them to become dormant in the winter time.
False autumn can cause leaves to turn brown before they usually would, but if you notice this happening, don’t strip them off your plants. They can still provide important shade for the roots of the plant, and can recover if watered well.
Removing them too soon leaves plants exposed to more harm when the winter finally arrives, so it’s worth leaving them for the time being.
And although it can be tempting to get other autumn jobs done, like planting spring bulbs or reseeding lawns, you might want to hold off until later in the month. Carrying out these tasks too early can waste effort, not to mention harm the growth in your garden.