by Lis Friemoth
Fall work starts now
Three-pronged approach works well
It’s time, once again, for using my Put It Down, Pick It Up, and Leave It Alone plan for fall work. Dividing, planning and organizing landscape tasks into these three categories will help you get plant material ready for — dare I say it — the upcoming season of snow and ice.
Put it down
For those of you who love a nice patch o’ green lawn, now is a perfect time to put down products that will help strengthen spring turf growth. The most effective strengthening is improving the overall health by managing the soil fertility, appropriately adjusting mower height, and reducing pest/weed pressures. Adding nutrients to adjust soil fertility is a good idea (please have a soil test done) and the best time to apply a high-quality, slow-release product is at the end of October.
As turf is a heavy nitrogen feeder, replenishing the supply is necessary for thick, lush growth and development. When choosing a slow-release product, look for one with higher nitrogen content — the first of the three numbers on the bag. Do check your local regulations as some areas limit, or ban, the use of fertilizers containing phosphorous. Any large seeding projects should have been done by now; but, if you haven’t been able to get to it, do not delay a day longer. At this point, success will be iffy if the weather turns.
Bulbs always are a favorite to put down in the fall, and there is definitely a bulb out there for every landscape style. Now is the time to go shopping, since availability is good. A couple of reminders: always check for cold hardiness (zones 4 or 5 around here); look for large-size bulbs without mold, bruises, or soft spots (you may have to do a bit of research as mature size varies with individual species); add some bulb booster to the well-prepared planting hole to give them a good start.
Be a bit patient with planting your bulbs. Wait until the soil temperatures have lowered to about 60 F before planting. Spring-blooming bulbs are just coming out of dormancy and need a bit of time — and water (don’t forget) — to develop roots and slowly get going.
It’s time, really, to get those recent purchases planted. Perennials, shrubs and trees need a few weeks to develop good, working feeder roots to uptake enough moisture and nutrients for winter survival. As there isn’t a lot of time before hard freeze, be sure to do a good job on site and soil prep, as well as follow-up care. Do not apply fertilizer on newly planted materials. Wait until next fall.
Pick it up
Tropical plants grow in warm, tropical areas. This part of the country is not known for warm temperatures from now until, oh, June or July of next year. If you want to keep anything tropical alive, you need to bring them indoors when temperatures reach, or go below, 50 degrees. Damage will start to occur at that point. Check and treat for insects and diseases before bringing any extra problems into the house. Placing the plants into high-light and humidity situations will help keep them healthier throughout the dry, dark wintery months.
Yard debris should be picked up and properly disposed of before the snow flies. This helps break pest and/or disease cycles. If you are using any tools for cleanup, be sure to disinfect them between plants. Seventy percent isopropyl alcohol or a 10 percent bleach solution works great as a disinfectant.) This simple step will help stop problems from spreading. And no, insects and diseases are not done yet this year. As long as life cycles, temperatures, and other environmental conditions are right, they will continue to assault the plants.
As you finish with fall tasks, clean and sharpen your tools before you put them away. It saves a ton of time in the spring. And if you plan on some dormant-season pruning, having those tools ready will make it very easy to do a bit of pruning, here and there, whenever you have few minutes.
Leave it alone
If you are dying to do some pruning, just leave it alone for now. Summer weather (remember the droughty conditions?) pushed a lot of plants into a deep dormancy. What does that mean? Well, there are a number of plants that really don’t need a long dormancy period before they begin to act as though it’s spring. And they will shoot out new growth. Pruning right now will just spur more vegetative growth. Depending on how this fall progresses, any new growth may, or may not have enough time to harden off before cold weather zaps it good. Be cautious in your timing when reaching for that pruning tool.
Thinking about laying down a nice thick layer of mulch right now? Don’t. If you haven’t done it so far this season, a few more weeks is not going to matter that much. Wait until the ground has frozen solid. Right now, critters are frantically looking for, and preparing, winter homes. Don’t invite invasion. Applying a deep layer of mulch around your plant materials right now is like lighting up a big neon vacancy sign.
— Lis Friemoth is a horticulture diagnostician. Contact her at (262) 745-2904, P.O. Box 58, Springfield, WI 53176, visit online at www.thegardenhoe.com or e-mail her at gardenhoe@tds.net. Listen to Liz from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. every third Saturday on WISN AM1130 radio. |
