Now is also the time to add color
into the fall landscape with the cheerful faces of winter hardy pansies and
violas, gorgeous garden mums, and unique varieties of ornamental cabbage and kale.
Transform the entrance to your home into a welcoming, colorful fall display
with potted mums, cabbage and kale, cornstalks, ornamental grasses, an
assortment of pumpkins and squash, and maybe a scarecrow set on a hay bale.
Don’t forget spring flowering bulbs.
Now is the time to get the best selection of varieties and colors and you have until
the middle of December to get them planted. Fall bulb planting varieties
include Tulips, Hyacinths, Daffodils and Crocus to name a few. Planting depths
vary but average 4-6” deep. It is really exciting to watch these colorful
plants bloom after a long winter.
September is perfect lawn renovation
month. Even though this year’s cooler, wetter summer was not as harsh on our
lawns, now is the time to consider renovation and aeration. Aeration is one of
the most important cultural practices available for your lawn. Aeration helps
control thatch, improves the soil structure, helps create growth pockets for
new roots, and opens the way for water, air and fertilizer to get to the roots
of your lawn. Aeration is the process of removing thousands of small cores of
soil 1” to 3” in length from your lawn. These cores “melt” back into the lawn
after a few rainfalls, mixing with whatever thatch exists on top of your lawn.
The holes in the soil created by aeration make perfect pockets for catching
fertilizer and water. Turf roots naturally grow toward these holes and thicken
in the process. Aeration holes also relieve pressure from compacted soils,
letting more oxygen and water move into the root zone of your lawn. Thatch on
your lawn’s soil works like a thatched roof. It sheds water and prevents
fertilizers and insect controls from moving freely into the soil. Thatch that
has become too thick can require a major lawn renovation. Aeration helps thatch
to break down naturally by mixing the soil cores into the thatch and speeding
up the decomposition of the thatch.
Once aeration is accomplished, it is
a perfect time to over seed your lawn. Fescue grass seed blends are most common
here in the Mid-Missouri area. Fescue blends take our summer heat and drought
conditions better than Bluegrass seed mixes, although Bluegrass types will work
good in irrigated areas. Fescue lawn mixes tolerate heat, drought and traffic
from kids and pets better. Over seed Fescue lawns at a rate of 2-3 lbs per
1,000 sq ft if you have a 50% stand of grass. Over seed Bluegrass lawns at a
rate of 1-2 lbs. per 1,000 sq ft if you have a 50% stand of grass. After
seeding, top dress with a starter type fertilizer, and you are ready to enjoy a
beautiful green lawn for fall and spring!
The fall of the year is perfect
timing for tree planting. You should give some thought to choosing varieties
for that special spot. Sun exposure, soil moisture, and the available growth
space, needs to be assessed to help with tree selection. The Washington Urban
Forestry Council has developed a “Tree List” that can be found on the City of
Washington’s website at http://ci.washington.mo.us/. Look under City
Departments on the side menu, then Parks & Recreation and click on Urban
Forestry Council then the plant list. The list is broken down into different
categories that make choosing a tree variety very easy. So, plant a tree this
fall. You will help the environment, lower your electric bills, and enhance
your property value.
Here are a few other quick tips for
this month. Begin to adapt your houseplants for winter indoors. Check for pests
and treat if necessary. Houseplants should be brought indoors at least one
month before the heat is normally turned on. Sow fall vegetable crops through
mid September. Harvest herbs now to freeze or dry for winter.
See you in the
Garden…
Sandi Hillermann McDonald
Sandi Hillermann McDonald
