We thought the summer, with it’s sweltering, sometimes blast furnace days (with a nod to those of you who actually LIKE that sort of thing…), would never end. But it’s true…Summer is over. The evenings are growing cooler and the days already seem to be getting shorter. For those of us affected, the Back To School rush is starting to settle into a routine. Time to forget about the garden, right? Niet! Nine! Nope! And definitely negative! If you get things ready for the next season properly, you’ll notice a huge difference come spring.
If you have plans to relocate shrubs or small trees, now is the ideal time to do that. As soon as those leaves start to change color and drop is when you need to dig them up, maintaining as much of the root ball as possible, and move them to a new location. It is also a good idea to protect your young trees with guards of plastic or wire mesh. Place these around the slender trunks of newer trees and shrubs to keep rabbits and other rodents from chewing on them over the winter.
Be sure to continue to water your trees – especially your evergreens – until the ground freezes. Evergreens need a good reserve of moisture heading into the winter months since they don’t lose their leaves as deciduous trees do.
It might be a good idea to rake up the fallen leaves every week instead of leaving the job until all of the leaves have fallen. In the fall, your lawn still needs sunlight as it, too, is preparing for winter and is storing up nutrients to make that first spring push of growth. Leaving the leaves on the lawn will weaken it and could smother it if the leaves get thick enough. If you can, shred the leaves and use them as mulch. If not, you can add them to your compost pile or make a portable leaf composter as we’ve talked about here in the past. You can use a chipper if you have one, or you can just run your lawn mower over the leaves, rake them up and use them that way.
One last application of fertilizer to your lawn in the late fall will increase the chances of your lawn surviving intact over the winter and will encourage a quick greening in the spring. Cut your lawn one last time and, after you’ve finished, why not get your mower serviced and it’s blades sharpened now so it will be ready for spring?
Some gardeners like to leave seed heads and dried foliage on perennials to feed the birds. And some gardeners like to have super neat beds ready for the spring-flowering bulbs that will be coming up in early spring. Remember, what you cut down now won’t need to be cleaned up in the spring. It might be a good idea to remove any leaves and stalks that the first frosts will turn to mush as well as anything that looks diseased. Think about keeping some of the ornamental grasses and other plants that produce seeds that could be used by over wintering birds. Pull out any perennials that are frosted and add those materials to the compost bin. Do a final weeding and edging of your flowerbeds. This is still a great time for planting spring flowering bulbs before the ground freezes.
While some say to cut back your roses for the winter, and cut them back hard. Some gardeners cut back and pile on dirt inside of a Styrofoam rose cone. I say, don’t cut them back now; wait until early spring. Hill up dirt around the base of hybrid tea roses for winter protection. After the leaves have died back, get rid of the remaining leaves and rake the ground clean. Some kinds of spores and other pests can over season in dead leaves and you could easily reduce your pest problems next spring by cleaning up really well this fall.
And now, a word about pool rings…
Sirena Van Schaik gives us this advice for that horrible brown ring in your lawn that you find when you take down that inflatable pool that your kids or grandkids splashed around in all summer.
Find a grass seed that is similar to the grass in your yard. It doesn’t have to be exact; there are many varieties that will blend in.
Prick the soil with a rake or a fork.
As you go, remove any weeds that you find. No need to leave them there to cause problems later.
Using a steel head rake, rake the surface that is bald or brown. The rake will create furrows for your grass seed.
Apply a thin layer of compost – about an inch – if you are not working with a bald area. You can also use a starter soil. Use the rake to create furrows.
Add the grass seed across the space. Make sure it covers well.
Take the rake and lightly draw it across the area in right angles. This will cover the furrows with a thin layer of the soil.
Plant some stakes around the brown area and stretch black cotton thread in between, a few inches from the surface. This will keep the birds from eating all of the seeds.
Water the new lawn spot, and continue to water.
One last point is that this repair should take place in October or early November at the latest. If it is too hot or dry, your grass seeds are not going to have a chance to grow and you will have wasted both the time and money it took to prepare the ground and apply those seeds. In the spring, this formerly brown spot should green up and blend in with the rest of your lawn quite nicely.
If you have plans to relocate shrubs or small trees, now is the ideal time to do that. As soon as those leaves start to change color and drop is when you need to dig them up, maintaining as much of the root ball as possible, and move them to a new location. It is also a good idea to protect your young trees with guards of plastic or wire mesh. Place these around the slender trunks of newer trees and shrubs to keep rabbits and other rodents from chewing on them over the winter.
Be sure to continue to water your trees – especially your evergreens – until the ground freezes. Evergreens need a good reserve of moisture heading into the winter months since they don’t lose their leaves as deciduous trees do.
It might be a good idea to rake up the fallen leaves every week instead of leaving the job until all of the leaves have fallen. In the fall, your lawn still needs sunlight as it, too, is preparing for winter and is storing up nutrients to make that first spring push of growth. Leaving the leaves on the lawn will weaken it and could smother it if the leaves get thick enough. If you can, shred the leaves and use them as mulch. If not, you can add them to your compost pile or make a portable leaf composter as we’ve talked about here in the past. You can use a chipper if you have one, or you can just run your lawn mower over the leaves, rake them up and use them that way.
One last application of fertilizer to your lawn in the late fall will increase the chances of your lawn surviving intact over the winter and will encourage a quick greening in the spring. Cut your lawn one last time and, after you’ve finished, why not get your mower serviced and it’s blades sharpened now so it will be ready for spring?
Some gardeners like to leave seed heads and dried foliage on perennials to feed the birds. And some gardeners like to have super neat beds ready for the spring-flowering bulbs that will be coming up in early spring. Remember, what you cut down now won’t need to be cleaned up in the spring. It might be a good idea to remove any leaves and stalks that the first frosts will turn to mush as well as anything that looks diseased. Think about keeping some of the ornamental grasses and other plants that produce seeds that could be used by over wintering birds. Pull out any perennials that are frosted and add those materials to the compost bin. Do a final weeding and edging of your flowerbeds. This is still a great time for planting spring flowering bulbs before the ground freezes.
While some say to cut back your roses for the winter, and cut them back hard. Some gardeners cut back and pile on dirt inside of a Styrofoam rose cone. I say, don’t cut them back now; wait until early spring. Hill up dirt around the base of hybrid tea roses for winter protection. After the leaves have died back, get rid of the remaining leaves and rake the ground clean. Some kinds of spores and other pests can over season in dead leaves and you could easily reduce your pest problems next spring by cleaning up really well this fall.
And now, a word about pool rings…
Sirena Van Schaik gives us this advice for that horrible brown ring in your lawn that you find when you take down that inflatable pool that your kids or grandkids splashed around in all summer.
Find a grass seed that is similar to the grass in your yard. It doesn’t have to be exact; there are many varieties that will blend in.
Prick the soil with a rake or a fork.
As you go, remove any weeds that you find. No need to leave them there to cause problems later.
Using a steel head rake, rake the surface that is bald or brown. The rake will create furrows for your grass seed.
Apply a thin layer of compost – about an inch – if you are not working with a bald area. You can also use a starter soil. Use the rake to create furrows.
Add the grass seed across the space. Make sure it covers well.
Take the rake and lightly draw it across the area in right angles. This will cover the furrows with a thin layer of the soil.
Plant some stakes around the brown area and stretch black cotton thread in between, a few inches from the surface. This will keep the birds from eating all of the seeds.
Water the new lawn spot, and continue to water.
One last point is that this repair should take place in October or early November at the latest. If it is too hot or dry, your grass seeds are not going to have a chance to grow and you will have wasted both the time and money it took to prepare the ground and apply those seeds. In the spring, this formerly brown spot should green up and blend in with the rest of your lawn quite nicely.
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