October
Gardening Tips of the Month
Lawns
Bulbs
Perennials &
Annuals
Roses
Trees & Shrubs
Veggies
October is the
month where the leaves start to fall from the
trees, your signal that it is time to
prune--and generally it is time to clean up
the garden, think about composting and aerating
your soil. Clean up means deadheading, and
pruning some plants to the ground, clearing
away the clippings, disposing of any and all
diseased garden matter, mulching for
protection and aerating the soil. Last season
weeding, to prevent a bumper crop of weeds in
spring, is also recommended. Your watering
schedule will change, but beware, just because
days are shorter and cooler, fall is windy and
that dries soil and plants--still water
deeply, just not as often. If there is
anything outside that will not weather the
rain and wind, bring it into storage until
spring. This is the time of year a lot of
insects lay eggs, so watch for that. Removing
cuttings can help you defeat next years insect
population.
Lawns
Aerate your lawns
this month, as you look for, and remove weeds. If
your lawn looks like it needs it, feed it
lightly. Depending on where you live, you should
be able to do just one last cutting. Just leave
the cuttings out on the lawn to decompose. This
can help protect against sudden frost and also
helps to feed the lawn. In some areas, if you
have a Bermuda grass lawn, you can overseed your
lawn with perennial rye grass seed for a winter
lawn. To do this, you would cut the grass as low
as possible, rake and remove all clippings, and
remove thatch to expose the bare soil. Apply the
seed and water well. Cover the lawn with sand or
compost to help settle the seed. Keep the lawn
moist until the seeds germinate. As the lawn
grows, you will be able to water less.
Roses
Now is the time to
lightly prune roses back about 1/3 of each cane.
Remove all weak and spindly canes to promote new
vigorous growth later. Fertilize lightly and
mulch, but don't bring the mulch up to the base
of the plants. Always remove canes that rub
against each other.
Bulbs
You still have time to plant spring flowering
bulbs. A good selection of bulbs for the
southwest areas include
amaryllis, narcissus,
gladiolus, iris, freesia, ranunculus, Easter, Formosan and
regal lily, spider lily, and rain
lilies.
Make sure you follow
directions for each kind, don't plant too deep or
too shallow. Some of your summer bulbs, like
dahlias and cannas, can be dug up and stored in a
cool, dark, dry place. Pack them in peat moss
and label.
Trees and Shrubs
Trees and shrubs transplant easily this month,
due to cooler air temperatures, while the ground
in most southwestern areas is still relatively
warm. Water new plants daily until they have a
chance to root, later you can, water less
often. In areas where citrus grows, this is the
time to plant orange, grapefruit, tangerines,
etc. Again, water daily for a couple of weeks,
then as winter approaches, only water once or
twice a week.
Vegetables
This is the time to plant the cool season
veggies - lettuce, spinach, broccoli,
cauliflower, onions and garlic, etc.--depending
on your zone. Wind protection is an issue in
some parts of the southwest, remember wind
really damages young seedlings. Now is the time
to plant onion and garlic sets (bulbs not seeds)
for next spring.
Perennials and
Annuals
For fall and winter
color, most areas are fine for new plantings of
petunias, pansies, snapdragons, calendulas and
stocks. Fix up your soil by mixing in compost,
peat moss or aged manure. Mulch to protect all
plants. A lot of your summer perennials should
be cut down to ground level--removing the debris
to the compost heap--as long as it is weed and
disease free. Aerate the soil and sow the seeds
for wildflowers to bloom in spring.
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