October 2025 Tips

Dear Gardening Friends,   It may still feel like summer but Fall has officially arrived. The warm weather gives us some extra time for end of season chores before the weather changes. There are 2 main issues to be aware of the drought and cool night temperatures.   First the drought. It’s very important to keep your plants, trees and shrubs hydrated right up until the soil freezes. The dry soil has lots of air pockets which can be harmful to plant roots. Plants slow down their growth in fall, but they aren’t dormant and need to be kept hydrated. If roots dry out during the fall it weakens the plant and makes it more susceptible to winter damage. If the ground is too dry when winter frost hits, the cold can penetrate deeper into the soil and damage the root system. Moist soil acts like a cozy blanket for roots, slowing the freezing process and protecting them from harsh winter conditions. WNY is known for strong winter winds which can cause winter desiccation when winter winds pull moisture from the plant’s leaves faster than it can be replaced by the roots.  If the soil has sufficient moisture this helps to counteract the drying of the foliage. Any perennial, tree or shrub planted this season needs extra care with keeping the soil moist until the ground freezes. Their root systems aren’t as developed as well established plants and they will be the first to be damaged by winter weather.   Next our warm days and cool nights.  The best time to bring in wintering over plants is when the night temps hit 50. With the warm days we’ve been having we tend to leave those plants outside. This is a mistake. Plants start to go dormant when the nights are cool and for overwintered plants to do well, they should be brought in while in their prime. I made this mistake last fall when it was warm until November. My overwintered plants did not thrive because I let them stay out well past their prime. Mine are all in now and have been for well over a week. (I hate bringing them in when they are so perfect but have learned my lesson the hard way.) While the cooler temps won’t necessarily kill a houseplant or annual it makes the transition to indoor living and dry furnace heat less of a shock and they may not do as well. Be sure to wash them off well with soapy water and check for critters before bringing them in. Another tip on bringing plants in is to keep them on the dry side for 2-3 weeks. Fungus gnats always seem to come in with the plants. Their larva live in the top few inches of the potting soil. If you keep that dry their cycle is stopped.   Other Fall tips:   Weed, weed, weed! You’ll thank yourself in the spring when those perennial weeds aren’t there.  Any annuals you can’t remove, at least cut off the seed heads (and remove) to reduce the seedlings next season. Besides, weeding is a great way to notice things that need attention in the garden.   Cut back and remove any perennial that has had a disease like black spot or powdery mildew and remove any leaves left on the soil. Do not compost diseased plant material, dispose of it.     Ordinarily fall is the ideal time to move and divide perennials. This year however, with the sunny, hot and DRY weather I have only moved two and stopped. Even with faithful watering they are not thriving. It’s simply too stressful for the plant to adjust. I just hope they make it through the winter. It’s somewhat better in shady locations but it still takes constant care to keep them alive.   Many perennials can be left up over winter. The crowns help protect the roots from temperature fluctuations and birds eat the seeds. There are also many beneficial insects which overwinter in the leaf litter or lay their eggs in the stems.   If you have any potted perennials that you don’t get planted you can store them in an unheated garage, dig the pot into the soil or place it among ground cover and cover with leaves. The important thing is to prevent the roots from freezing. If you have an open compost pile you can dig them in there and cover with leaves. It’s a good idea to hold the leaves down with deer or bird netting so they don’t blow away over the winter. This also helps prevent small critters from digging in.   As your annuals fade, pull them out roots and all. It’s easier to remove them before the frost makes them mushy. They can be added to the compost, soil and roots as well.   Although fall isn’t the best time to prune many trees and shrubs, any dead or damaged branches should be trimmed. This will eliminate the possibility of them breaking during a winter storm, and damaging home, garage, etc. Any branches that have grown large enough to be in the way or in danger of poking someone in the eye should also be removed.   That being said, if a dead branch or tree, is not in the way of harming anything you can leave it up. Dead trees and branches are a wonderful habitat for beneficial insects and a natural bird feeder for woodpeckers and other insect eating birds.   There’s still time to plant bulbs but do it soon as it’s best of they have time to set roots and make them strong for spring bloom. If you have trouble with critters digging up the bulbs, put a layer of pea gravel or small chicken wire just under the soil level as you fill the planting hole. This will keep them from digging.   SAVE THOSE LEAVES! Let the leaves protect your gardens, you can remove them in the spring if needed. Save any mulched leaves for use as mulch next spring. You can store them in a pile outside or in leaf bags. I keep my bags of mulched leaves under some trees for the winter and it’s ready to use in the spring. Mulched leaves are proving to be the most beneficial garden mulch as it helps improve the soil as well as keep the weeds down.     You can still contact me for a garden consultation. Having plans in place for improvements next spring is ideal.             Happy Gardening! Lyn Chimera Lessons from Nature 170 Pine St. E. Aurora, NY 14052 716-652-2432 [email protected] 716-652-2432   Copyright © 2023 Lessons From Nature, All rights reserved. You're receiving this message because you requested to receive Lessons from Nature newsletters. unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences