September means a new year to me. Many of us, especially perennial students, associate this month with renewal and change in the air. That holds true for gardens also. September pulls us out of summer lassitude and forward into the joy of a busy fall gardening season. Here are some of the things we're thinking about at this time of year.

Lawn care: Lawns stand up and demand help in September. This month is ideal for seeding or sodding new lawns, and repairing the scruffy remains of summer's troubled turf. Between Sept. 1 and Oct. 15, conditions are excellent for lawn activities.

A great source of basic information is the Washington State University Turf Web site: www.puyallup.wsu.edu/turf. Look for the article by Dr. Tom Cook called "Establishing New Lawns." This answers basic questions and provides guidance, whether you do the work yourself or get professional assistance.

For lawn repair and renovation, check out the WSU gardening Web site: gardening.wsu.edu. Information on lawn renovation, and alternatives to lawns, as well as basic lawn care, is available here. Whatever the degree of uniformity you want in a lawn, from meadowy texture with some weeds to putting green, you'll find this site helpful.

Houseplants: Bring them in by the end of September. Go over them carefully for hitchhiking insects; I generally wash mine thoroughly with a hose and look in and under the pot before allowing them back inside. Aphids in particular can become plagues inside a house if a few come in on leaves — they multiply wildly in warm, protected household conditions.

Earwigs on dahlias and other flowers: Earwigs, which can colonize dahlia petals, sometimes allow themselves to be caught in wet, tightly rolled newspaper. Place this at the base of the plants. Earwigs also will go into plastic-bottle traps baited with wet cat food (as will slugs). The one disadvantage of this method is that curious dogs find the yummy traps irresistible and will try to extricate the tasty bait.

Also, swish any flowers being cut for the house in a bucket of water before arranging them. Dinner guests have been known to be startled when an errant earwig starts across the table. (I speak from experience.)

Investigate those roots : Check water at the roots of newly planted trees and shrubs. Conifers such as mugho pines may capture light rainfall on their branches without getting water penetration to the roots. Even gray days in September can be deceptively dry, and the month may give us less than an inch of rain.

Crispy compost : Turn and water compost piles. Centers may have stayed damp, but the whole pile works better if it's damp.

For the birds: Keep multiple bird baths filled with fresh water. I've discovered the value of old shallow casserole dishes, in lumpy '70s brown colors, without lids (yard-sale detritus), with a few big rocks in the center to give the birds a standing spot. Watching birds shake themselves after dunking makes me smile every time. Orphaned glazed plant saucers that hold water also work.

Becoming a WSU Master Gardener: Readers sometimes ask me how I learned about gardening conditions in the Pacific Northwest. More than 20 years ago, I took the WSU Master Gardener course, which provided me with a solid basis in what gardeners need in Western Washington. I still use material from that training — and it's a wonderful way to serve your community and meet other gardeners.

If you're interested in becoming a master gardener volunteer, check out the information on their Web site: mastergardener.wsu.edu. It's important to do that this month, because many Western Washington counties send out their applications in late September for winter training. If you wait, you may miss a cutoff date. Look on the site for contact information for your county; training is done within counties, or with two or three counties together.

Garden expert Mary Robson, retired area horticulture agent for Washington State University/King County Cooperative Extension, shares gardening tips every Wednesday. Her e-mail is marysophia@earthlink.net.