General Gardening Tips for October!

• Autumn is a great time to plant trees, shrubs, bulbs, perennials, grass seed and turf. Plants that are planted in Autmn enjoy cooler temperatures and ideal growing conditions that allow roots ample time to grow into the surrounding soil. Make sure you add a handful of bone meal in the base of the planting hole at the time of planting.
   
• As we pointed out last month these are jobs that can be spread over the coming months as the weather dictates, as we have seen the last few weeks had plunged us back into summer and confusing our plants. I have daffodils up and pansies in full bloom.
   
• Plants and trees that provide colour in the month of October include Burning Bush, Camellia, Ornamental Cabbage and Kale, Pansies Viburnum, Crape Myrtles, October Glory Maple, Red Sunset Maple, Nandina, Pyracantha, Sweet Gum and Virginia Creeper.
   
• There are lots of perennials with interest now including Anemone, Chrysanthemums, perennial Asters and ornamental grasses.
   
• Spring blooming bulbs are now in stock at your local garden center and now is the time to plant them. Plant Iris, Tulips, Crocus, Daffodils and many others for glorious spring colour.
   
• Add a touch of Autumn to your home and landscape with hardy pot Mums.
   
• Do not prune Azaleas, Rhododendrons and other spring flowering shrubs because they have already set their buds for next year's blooms. If you feel these shrubs do need to be pruned, however, you can prune them now, but you will sacrifice next spring flowers.
   
• Time to feed your plants with a good quality slow release plant food. Fertilizing perennials and flowering shrubs and trees with fertilizers made for flowering plants. This custom blended plant food contains slow-release nitrogen, sulphate of potash, iron and other micro-nutrients for overall plant growth and development.
   
• We recommend feeding evergreens (Hollies, Boxwoods and Yews) and deciduous trees (Maples, Oaks and Ash) with tree & shrub foods. These product contains slow-release nitrogen, sulphate of potash, iron for acid loving plants and other micro-nutrients for overall plant growth and development.
   
• Time to dig Gladiolus. Remove the tops and let them dry for two weeks. Dust them with Sulphur. Store in dry peat moss or vermiculite at room temperature.
   
• Time to transplant peonies or divide them if you wish to multiply your plants.

• October is a great time to lime, seed and fertilize your lawn. You can seed a new lawn in early October or reseed (over-seed) an established lawn this month to make it thicker and healthier.
   
• If you need to, you can lime, fertilize and seed your lawn all in the same day. Otherwise, seed and fertilize the same day and then lime later in the Autumn.
   
• If needed, Autumn is a great time to aerate and/or de-thatch the lawn. If you decide to do one or both of these, they should be done prior to seeding.
   
• If you do plan to aerate, de-thatch or rototill (for total renovation), thoroughly soak the soil a day or two before you start your project or perform your project a day or two after a good rain.
   
• Now is also a good time to control weeds growing in the lawn, however you cannot weed kill and seed the same day. If you choose to kill weeds in the lawn first, you must wait three weeks to seed your lawn. Or, if you seed first, you will need to wait until the new seed has germinated and been mowed at least twice before applying a weed killer.
   

Tips on applying weed killer:

• Do not apply weed controls on newly seeded areas.
   
• Do not apply weed controls on windy days.
   
• Do not apply weed controls near or on the edge of waterways.
   
• Do not apply weed controls when temperatures are above 85 degrees F.
   
• Do not allow children or pets to play on lawns freshly applied with weed controls. Wait until weed control is dry if you applied a liquid weed killer. If you applied a granular weed control, wait one week.
   
• Always check the label of weed control products and follow the labels instructions.

Feeding the Lawn

• Autmn is the best time to feed your lawn with a good quality, slow-release lawn food, with at least two feedings between the months of September, October, November and December. We recommend using a 26-4-12 weighted fertilizer in September. Follow the directions EXACTLY.
   
• If you are seeding the lawn, use a 14-18-14 weighting. It is high in phosphorus, which aids in seedling germination and encourages strong root development. If you use 14-18-14 now, follow-up with a 24-4-12 in November or December.
   
• If you are not seeding, use a 26-4-12 weighted fertilizer. It is the ideal fertilizer to help green-up your lawn and keep it looking thick and healthy. This product is high in nitrogen, which will continue feeding the lawn over an extended period of time. If you use 26-4-12 now, follow-up with 14-18-14 in November or December to aid root-building.

Seeding the Lawn

• As mentioned, October is the best month to seed your lawn with improved varieties of quality grass seed. We recommend you use grass seed mixes which have been specially formulated for your area.

• Bluegrasses and Fine Fescue and will grow in conditions ranging from full sun to 50% shade.

• Seeding rates are as follows:
  3 lbs./1,000 sq. ft. on new lawns.
  1.5 lbs./1,000 sq. ft. when over seeding.
  Fine Fescues and hard Fescues and will grow in conditions ranging from 50% shade to 90% shade.

• Seeding rates are as follows:
  4 lbs./1,000 sq. ft. on new lawns.
  2 lbs./1,000 sq. ft. when over seeding.
  A blend made up of tall Fescues and a touch of Bluegrass and Ryegrass thrives in conditions ranging from full sun to 70% shade, and can take all kinds of soil condition (wet, dry, clay, sandy).

• Seeding rates are as follows:
  8 lbs./1,000 sq. ft. on new lawns.
  4 lbs./1,000 sq. ft. when over seeding.

Fruit and Vegetable Gardens

• Pick the largest, almost ripe green tomatoes, just before a frost. Put them in a brown paper bag with some apples and they will ripen as sweet as if on the vine.

• Remove all old vines of beans, squash, etc. to the compost pile and then spade or till the garden. Sow winter rye and do not mow it.

House Plants

• Time to bring houseplants back indoors if you haven't already. If needed. You can dust the soil with insecticide granules to prevent bringing in ants, wireworms, sow bugs, etc.

• Re-pot pot bound plants with potting mix.

• Fertilize your houseplants with a slow release fertilizer like Osmocote through November, and then slow down your feeding schedule until February.
  
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