Recycle Yard Waste

 Don’t bag up and throw away your yard waste! Add them to your compost pile or use them to mulch your shrub or flower beds. If you have a mower shred the leaves by running over them and don’t forget to bag it up when doing this; by shredding the leaf litter this will assure that it will decompose faster. As you build up your compost pile sprinkle some fertilizer that contains nitrogen per 1 foot of leaves to encourage decomposition and remember to keep the pile moist.

 

Weeding

Weeds will continue to grow during the cool season. Don’t let weeds take over your shrub and flower beds. Your best defense is to keep the soil surface of the beds covered with 2-3 inches of mulch or commonly known in the green industry as weed suppression. Cultivation and hand weeding selectively removes weeds from the landscape. If weeds are scattered throughout the landscape, hand weeding may be the preferred management method. Hand weeding is time consuming, but is a must in all weed management programs to keep weeds from seeding. There is no getting around it; hand weeding must be repeated frequently until plants become established. Cultivation can damage shrubs with shallow roots, bring weed seeds to the soil surface, and propagate perennial weeds. When cultivating avoid deep tilling; this brings buried weed seeds to the soil surface where they are more likely to germinate.

 

Planting in the fall

With the gradual cooling temperatures and the steady loss of daylight, the best time to plant is in the fall. Fall covers the period from the last week in September until about Thanksgiving. The only plants not recommended for fall planting would be frost-sensitive plants such as bougainvillea and hibiscus. Citrus can benefit from fall planting if you give them protection on cold nights.

The two biggest advantages of fall planting are:

(1) New plantings require less water because temperatures are cooling down instead of heating up.

(2) Fall plantings take full advantage of the spring growing surge while spring plantings are still getting established. An additional benefit of fall planting is that you can plant some plants in the full sun that would burn if planted in late spring or summer.

Fall planting works because soils hold the heat from summer through fall and into winter. This warm soil allows new roots to begin to grow. Even as the soil gets colder, roots continue to grow using the plant’s stored food. When the warmth of spring arrives, fall plantings, with their larger root systems supplying maximum water and nutrient needs, undergo a dramatic growth surge. Spring plantings, with their skimpier roots, are not ready for a full surge of new growth. Another advantage of fall planting is selection. Especially with desert plants, spring selection, both from a size and variety standpoint, is often poor. As the summer goes on, the selection increases. And in the fall, selection is often at its peak. Plus, with the cooling temperatures, fall is one of the most pleasant times to be outside in your garden. So, if you are thinking about planting trees and shrubs, this is a great time to do it.

 

Planting Trees

 November and early December is good for planting trees, during this period the soil is still warm which in-turn encourages vigorous root growth and trees will have several months to become established before the summer. Generous amounts of rainfall during the winter also make constant attention to unnecessary watering.

Proper steps to planting trees:

• Dig the hole twice the diameter of the root ball and no deeper that the height of the root ball.
• Remove tree from container; if the root ball is tightly packed with thick encircling roots try to unravel, open up or even cut some of the roots to encourage them to spread into the surrounding soil.
• Place the root ball in the hole.
• Place the top of the root ball level or slightly above the surrounding soil (do not plant trees too deep).
• Pulverize the soil that was dug out from the hole and make sure you use as backfill around the tree. Add soil around the tree until the hole is half full, pack the soil tightly and eliminate any air pockets. Fill in the rest of the soil and pack firmly once again then water tree thoroughly to settle in.
• Do not fertilize trees planted during the fall; fertilize during the spring.
• Stake tree; drive two stakes firmly into the ground just beyond the root ball and use tree ties where it touches mid-trunk and tied to the stakes. Leave support in place no more than nine to twelve months.
• Keep 1 to 2 feet clear from the trunk of newly planted trees, this encourages the trees to established faster by eliminating competition from grass roots as well as preventing lawn mowers and string trimmers from damaging the bark of the tree at the base; damaging bark at the base of tree can cause stunting or death. Mulch should be 2 to 4 inches deep and pulled back slightly from the base of the trunk.

 

Growing Wildflowers

Enjoying the beauty of wildflowers often makes a gardener wonder if the flowers would have the same effect in their home landscape. The answer is yes; in some landscapes, natural-looking areas of wildflowers would be appropriate. The wild and untamed look is entirely appropriate in a casual and informal style of landscape designs.

If you’re planning to grow wildflowers look carefully at the growing conditions in that particular area (soil and microclimate conditions).   You must use wildflowers that will thrive under those conditions if you except success. Look at the layout of your yard, how much sun does it receive, partial or full? What’s the soil texture like, clayey or sandy? There’s a wildflower mix for every soil type.

The easiest type of wildflower garden to establish is in an open field grown from seed. Planting the seeds in the fall tends to produce the best results and should be done in late October through November. Select a sunny area to be planted and remove any existing or unwanted vegetation by mechanical methods or by using a sprayer with a glyphosate herbicide. Wildflower seeds will not germinate in an area with thick vegetation so you’ll need to rototill the soil and rake smooth. When planting native wildflowers generally no fertilizers or soil amendments should be added to the soil during preparation.

When planting the wildflower seed mix use a broadcast spreader; after spreading provide a good seed contact with the soil by pressing the seeds into the soil with a seedbed roller. The seeds should be watered occasionally especially if the weather is dry. Wildflower seed mixes contain annual and perennial species that bloom the first year from seed, so expect a gorgeous display in the spring or early summer. Allow the flowers to complete their life cycle and drop their seeds before the area is mowed down.

 

What to do before a freeze

 WATER

Water your landscape thoroughly if the soil is dry. Strong winds may cause damage by drying plants out and watering helps prevent this, however wetting the foliage of the plants does not provide any cold protection.

MOVE INSIDE

Move all containers and hanging baskets inside the house, garage or inside a covered patio; if you haven’t any room, group the plants together and cover with a sheet or burlap.

MULCH

Mulching is one of the best ways to protect plant roots; it’s important to note that the combination of dry soil and cold temperatures can cause serious freeze damage to trees and shrubs in your landscape.

COVER

Use plastic as a cover for large or small plants by creating a simple structure with sheets of clear visqueen. Use small stakes slightly taller than the plant, drive stakes into the ground, and make sure stakes are taller than the plant once secured into the ground. Surround plant with visqueen creating a tent effect and secure excess plastic with soil, stones, or bricks. The plastic cover should be vented or removed during sunny, warm days. For severe freezes provide a heat source such as small outdoor Christmas lights by draping the plant with them; this will provide heat for the plant but not enough to burn the plant or cover.

 

What to do after a freeze

 Move containers back to their spots outside and for the plants that were covered, remove plastic to prevent any excess heat buildup. Wait to prune for several days, as it often takes several days for damage to become evident. Herbaceous plants may be pruned back to living tissue; generally it’s a good idea to delay hard pruning until new growth begins in the spring. That way you can determine which parts of the plant are viable.