Submitted by New England Nurseries
Judy Brown and the staff at New England Nurseries share fall gardening tips:
LAWNS
Fall is an ideal time to tend to your lawn. Feeding, weeding and reseeding now will mean healthier lawns come springtime.
September and October are the best months to control perennial broadleaf weeds like dandelions and clover. Broadleaf herbicides should be applied to established lawns only. (If reseeding, give new grass about a month to establish roots before applying any herbicides). Feed established lawns with a fall fertilizer. Continue watering and mowing lawns until the ground begins to freeze.
Conduct a soil pH test (Single-use test kits are available for about $1. Be sure to use distilled water for testing). Most lawn grasses require a pH of 6.5 to 7. Apply lime now to raise soil pH to the desired level in spring.
Reseed bare areas. Loosen turf with a rake or spread new top soil if needed. There should be at least ¼ inch of loose soil when reseeding. Use a starter fertilizer for newly seeded areas and water twice daily. Lime, seed and fertilizer can be applied on the same day, in any order.
BULBS
Plant spring bulbs beginning mid-month and continuing as long as the ground is workable. Add a bulb fertilizer to planting holes. Soak bulbs in a natural animal repellant to keep hungry squirrels away. Tender bulbs such as dahlias and cannas should be dug up to store for winter.
TREES & SHRUBS
Now is a great time to plant new trees and shrubs because the new roots will have plenty of time to become established before the spring. For new trees and shrubs, dig the planting hole twice as wide and just as deep as the root ball. Once planted, the root flare should be even with the soil line. Use a starter fertilizer or a rooting hormone to help new plantings establish an adequate root system before the ground freezes. Mix the fertilizer or hormone solution into the soil that you have dug out.
If the roots are tightly tangled, you can cut or untangle them. This will help them spread out once in the ground.
VEGETABLE & HERB GARDEN
October is the time to transition your vegetable garden from production to preparation.
Harvest any remaining vegetables sensitive to frost, including winter squash, pumpkins, and sweet potatoes. Green tomatoes can ripen indoors when placed in a brown paper bag and stored in a cool, dry area out of direct sunlight. Harvest all herbs to dry or freeze.
Clear out all of the dead plants that are no longer producing fruit. Most can go into the compost pile but any plant material that had diseases or insect problems should be disposed of to avoid carry over to the next season. Any portion of the garden that is not going to be planted until the spring can be covered with hay or black plastic, or consider planting a cover crop such as clover or winter rye, which will become a valuable source of nitrogen when tilled under in spring.
Conduct a soil pH test in the garden using distilled water. Add lime to garden soil if pH is below 6; about 1 pound of lime per 100 square feet for each .5 below that number. Add an inch or two of compost to any cleared garden areas to replenish nutrients in the soil.
HOUSEPLANTS AND ANNUAL CONTAINERS
Most tropical houseplants should come indoors for winter when temperatures stay below 50 degrees F. Before taking them inside, repot if needed. Treat for insects if present and apply a systemic pesticide to make sure you’re not taking in any unwanted houseguests.
WATER GARDEN
Use netting stretched out over the surface of the pond to prevent falling leaves from collecting in the water. Feed fish a spring/fall food and continue until the water temperature drops below 45 F. This allows the fish to build up additional fat stores for winter survival. If the fish are to remain in the pond during the winter, it is necessary to keep an air hole open on the surface to allow for the exchange of gases produced from decaying organic matter. The build-up of these gases is toxic to fish.
Stop fertilizing water garden plants when the daytime water temperature drops below 60 F. This will give plants the opportunity to go dormant. As the leaves of hardy plants yellow or are frozen, cut the leaves off back to the crown. The short, small leaves produced late in the season should remain attached. Lower hardy plants to the bottom of the pool where they will survive the winter. If there is danger of the pool freezing solid, remove the plants in their containers from the pond and place them in a non-freezing area. Put the containers inside a plastic bag and cover with moist material such as newspapers or peat moss to retain moisture.
Tropical water lilies and other non-hardy water plants should be removed from the water garden when the water temperature dips below 70 degrees F, but they can be over-wintered in various ways. The goal is to keep the plant alive, but not growing vigorously.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Make your jack o’lantern last by spraying the inside and cut surfaces with a bleach solution. Use 1 tablespoon of bleach per quart of water and put into a spray bottle. After spraying all exposed flesh, wipe the same areas with petroleum jelly. This will keep out new bacteria and molds so you can enjoy your pumpkin for several weeks.
Mark your calendar for the New England Nurseries Annual Halloween Festival! Kids of all ages are invited to join in the Halloween fun! Witch hunts, pumpkin bowling, musical chairs, and a “scary” trip through our hay maze! Wear your costumes!
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