October 2024 Tips

Dear Gardening Friends,    Fall is officially here even though summer weather  is continuing. This gives us some extra time for end of season chores before the weather changes. The following are a few tips: The temps have been below 50 a few nights so if you haven’t brought in your plants for the winter do it now. 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 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. 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. As far as moving perennials now, they need at least 4 weeks to settle their roots in before the soil gets below 50 degrees. That’s the iffy part. It’s impossible to predict. I moved some ground cover a week ago and am hoping for the mild weather to last. Anything transplanted this fall should be kept well watered until the ground freezes and mulch it well after the ground does freeze. 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 a 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 on the 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. When you do the last mowing of the season leaves the mulched leaves on the lawn along with the grass clippings. It’s good “food” for the lawn. Speaking of leaves…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. Rain has been below normal for some areas this fall and average in others. It’s very important to keep your plants hydrated going into the winter. Anything planted this season is especially important to keep well watered.   You can still contact me for a garden consult. Having plans in place for improvements next spring is ideal. Happy gardening! Lyn Chimera Lessons from Nature 170 Pine St. E. Aurora, NY 14052 [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