Garden Solutions - September 2014

 
            There is no better time of year than this abundant season to catch your bearings, reevaluate the year, enjoy the harvest and relax. It is also the best time to take a few moments to invest in your home. There are many simple tasks you can do now, that will save time in the spring when you are twice as busy.

            The kids are back in school and off to college. That makes it a good time to get back to work in the yard and garden. Especially if you have put your outdoor living projects off this summer because of bonding, vacations and sports programs.

            With the hottest month of the year now behind us, there is no better time to renovate and reseed than during the month of September. In fact, the perfect window of opportunity for lawn growth is August 15 - October 15. Even though it may be hot and dry, it is the perfect time of year to aerate and over seed established yards.

            The process should be done as follows: Cut the lawn a little shorter than normal (2-3 inches). Then run over the yard with a core aerator (this machine pulls plugs out of the ground about the size of your little finger). This whole process works best after a good rain or a deep watering. The core aeration process helps with the soil aeration, lessens soil compaction and makes for better, stronger grass root systems. Now, run a renovator over the area. This machine slices the ground with many little teeth and will break down the dirt clods from the core aeration process and bring up any dead thatch in the area.

            After the aeration process is completed, you are ready to sow your grass seed (use a 50% spread rate for a 50% stand of grass) and add fertilizer (a starter type fertilizer that is high in phosphorus is best). For a 50% stand of grass or less, you will not need additional cover such as straw. If you are over seeding bare areas or new lawn areas, you will need to straw these areas to hold moisture for seed protection. For the specific grass seed type, shop for seed specific to your area of need: shade, sun, part-shade and sun, etc. Check with your local independent garden center for special grass seed mixes that are specially blended for your region for the best performance.

            Once you have sown the grass seed, you can apply a starter fertilizer. Then, add a Winterizer fertilizer to the entire area in late October or November. This whole process will “promise” you a beautiful strong lawn for spring of next year. Water is, of course, essential for this growth if Mother Nature does not cooperate. New lawn installations are also best at this time of year as well. 

 

NOW PLANT, PLANT, PLANT

            Fall in Missouri is the ideal time of year to plant all kinds of things from cool-season vegetables to turf grasses, and especially shrubs, evergreens or deciduous trees. Yet, when it comes to planting, many gardeners only think of the spring. Why is fall such an ideal time to plant? First, the warm soil in the fall helps encourage root growth. The roots continue to grow through our mild winters becoming well established by the spring. This makes fall plantings much better equipped to handle our heat and drought once summer finally arrives. Plus, our fall and spring rains help do the work in establishing your plants so you don’t have to do as much. During this time, there is also fewer pests and disease problems to attack your plant while it is young.

            Planting trees in the fall of the year is perfect timing to get better results. Choosing varieties for that special spot should be given some thought. The Washington Urban Forestry Council has developed a “Tree List” that can be found on the City of Washington’s website (http://www.ci.washington.mo.us) under City Departments, Parks & Recreation, and Urban Forestry Council. 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.

            Now turn your focus to Fall Decorations….and change the Curb Appeal of your yard by giving it a face-lift for fall. Change out those summer containers and flowerbeds with fall bedding plants that work long into the fall season, which in our case here in Missouri can be thru mid November. You should be able to find such plants as pansies, ornamental cabbage, kale, Fall Magic annuals, ornamental grasses, hardy garden mums and MUCH more. Don’t forget to add in straw, corn stalks, pumpkins and gourds to give it a complete look. Extend the look of your outdoor room and enjoy the extended season.

            Fall bulbs are available now and should be considered for spring color in your garden! So start thinking ahead to next year and get in on the action now.

            *For additional information about fall gardening and tips, check out the following website: www.hillermann.com.

 

Time to go………..See you in the Garden

Sandi Hillermann McDonald

 

September Tips for the Garden 2009

The Best Time of the Year is NOW!!!

When I was a kid, I loved summer - no school, warm sunshine and lots of fun and mischief to get into. Now that I am a Grandma, my season preferences have also matured. Over the years, I have come to enjoy all the offerings of fall. The cool, crisp mornings that gives way to warm days and starry nights. Fall color in Missouri is exceptional with the turning of leaves on trees - colors so vivid and alive that they jump out of the landscape. Driving past fields of pumpkins gets the kids excited that Halloween candy is yet to come. The treat of eating sweet grapes fresh off the vine and juicy apples plucked from the trees. And of course, fall sports begin soon.

There is no better time of year than this abundant season to catch your bearings, reevaluate the year, enjoy the harvest and relax. It is also the best time to take a few moments to invest in your home. You can do many simple tasks now that save you time in the spring when you are twice as busy.

PLANT, PLANT, PLANT
Fall in Missouri is the ideal time of year to plant all kinds of things from cool-season vegetables to turf grasses, and especially shrubs, evergreens or deciduous trees. Yet, when it comes to planting, many gardeners only think of the spring. Why is fall such an ideal time to plant? First, the warm soil in the fall helps encourage root growth. The roots continue to grow through our mild winters becoming well established by the spring. This makes fall plantings much better equipped to handle our heat and drought once summer finally arrives. In addition, our fall and spring rains help do the work in establishing your plants, which reduces the care responsibilities and increases your success rate. There are also fewer pests and disease problems to attack your plant while it is young.

When fall arrives, I want to see bright oranges, vibrant yellows, and fiery reds. These fall colors bring life back to our landscapes after the summer sun has faded most of the blooms. The natural turning of leaves into their disguised color of glory brings a new energy to our yards and awakens our senses. Nowadays, you can find selections of trees and shrubs especially bred for fall color. There is no reason to have humdrum containers and flowerbeds during fall when there are Garden Mums and Fall/Winter Pansies to replace our burnt out summer annuals. Fall cool season plants known as Fall Magic are also great additions to beautiful fall containers and beds. Home decorating in fall is great fun also by adding pumpkins, corn stalks, gourds and other harvest items to the landscape or porch décor.

Fall bulbs is another subject you should consider at this time. You will find the best selection now, and you have until Christmas to get them into the ground for spring blooming. Bulbs need 10 weeks of cold weather to create their magnificent show. Many varieties and colors are popping up in this category of plants as well. I will talk more about bulbs in the October “Tips for the Garden” article.

THE POST SEASON WRAP UP
One of the best-kept secrets to the most lavish landscapes is autumn restoration. Just a few garden chores done in the fall will lead to spring and summer pay-offs that are well worth the work.

Things to do now include:
Pull Weeds: Clean up your yard by pulling weeds. Then apply a pre-emergent such as Preen containing Trifluran in the landscape beds. This will keep your yard looking nice and weed free for months to come.
Fertilize: It is important to fertilize your evergreens and conifers at this time because their root systems continue to grow throughout the late fall and even into the winter until ground frost appears. An application of Osmocote or plants spikes is ideal for this chore. The plants take up these nutrients and are ready to explode when the spring growing season arrives.
Prepare Your Lawn: Were you disappointed in your lawn this year? Well, now is the time to prepare your lawn for next spring! Aerate and de-thatch it if the soil is compacted. This will allow the soil to drain better and give it much needed oxygen. It is a good time to seed lawns as well as fertilize them. Seeding in early fall will give the roots plenty of time to become established before winter. Fertilize with a winter type fertilizer in late fall to build nutrients up in the root system. This will keep your lawn from going into the winter hungry stage, and it will help it take off much faster this spring.

Enjoy the cool crisp air and I will …...See you in the Garden
Sandi Hillermann McDonald

November Tips for the Garden 2008

We have definitely had more moisture than usual this year. However, you still want to watch for dry periods and water your plants if the soil dries out, especially for new plantings. Roots of plants grow in winter months and need moisture before the ground freezes. You can plant trees and shrubs anytime the ground is not frozen. This will give the plant more time to become established before the next hot summer. Add a fire pit to your outdoor living space and enjoy cool evenings around a crackling fire. Remember to turn your clocks back the first weekend in November. There are many things to do in the yard and garden before the season ends. So, dig in to the tasks listed below and enjoy the outdoors as much as you can!

• Now is a good time to collect soil samples and test the pH and nutritional levels. Lime will increase the pH level if it is low. Sulfur will lower the pH level if it is high. The product labels and the staff at your local Garden Center can help you determine the rate to use for your situation.
• Till the vegetable garden to expose many insect pests to winter cold and reduce their numbers in next year’s garden.
• Keep leaves raked up and off the lawn to prevent injury to turf grasses.
Continue mowing lawn grasses as long as they keep growing, 2-3” high is good.
• Apply Winterizer fertilizer to lawns to strengthen plant stems and roots for winter growth and early spring green up.
• If we have dry periods before the ground freezes, water perennial beds, shrubs, and trees.
• Plant tulips and other spring bulbs now through December.
• Start paperwhite, narcissus, and amaryllis bulbs indoors now thru December.
• After the first hard freeze, mulch rose bushes heavily to a depth of 12” to cover the plant graph area properly using bark, compost, or straw with rose collars. Prune back longer canes to 24-36” to prevent whipping from wind in the winter. Hold off on heavy pruning until April of next year.
• Roll up and store garden hoses on a warm, sunny day.
• Towards the end of the month, be sure to shut off and drain any outdoor water pipes or irrigation systems that may freeze during cold weather.
• Cover garden ponds with bird or pond netting to prevent leaves from fouling the water. Oxygen depletion from rotting organic matter can cause a winterkill of pond fish.
• Take steps to prevent garden ponds from freezing solid in winter. Using a floating garden heater in the pond will lessen the chance of ice damage.
• Mulch strawberries with straw for winter. The best time to do this is after several nights of 20° F, but before temperatures drop into the teens. Apply straw loosely, but thick enough to hide plants from view.
• Set up bird feeders. Birds also appreciate a source of unfrozen drinking water during the winter. Use one of the many styles of birdbath heaters or heated birdbaths available at garden centers.
• When feeding the birds, set up a variety of feeder types to get the best assortment of birds to come to your yard. Tube feeders are good for songbirds, platform feeders are good for cardinals and larger birds, and suet is a great source of fat and energy for woodpeckers and all bird types.

Winter houseplant care: reduce or eliminate fertilizer until spring, shorter days mean slower growth, slower growth means less frequent watering. Plants in plastic pots need less water than those in clay pots. Plants in cooler rooms need less water and will have slower growth than those in warm rooms. Creating additional humidity is always beneficial. An easy way to increase humidity is to use trays filled with water and large pebbles. Place the plants on the pebbles so they will not sit in the water, but they can get the benefit of a higher humidity level as the water evaporates.

The fall season is ending, but outdoor enjoyment can continue especially with the new outdoor living trends of today. Can you believe that it is November already? Wow, from November 1, there are only 27 more days until Thanksgiving, 51 days until the first day of winter, 55 more days until Christmas and 62 more days until January 1, 2009! And you know how fast the next 62 days are going to fly by! So fasten your seatbelts and enjoy the outdoors as you prepare for winter….Enjoy your yard and garden in every season!

Time to go….See you in the Garden....
Sandi Hillermann McDonald

September Tips for the Garden 2008

By Sandi Hillermann McDonald, Hillermann Nursery & Florist

It’s fall already! Where did the summer go? The kids are already back in school and off to college. The weather has been quite different this year compared to last year’s drought, heat, etc. It was a nice change considering normal summer weather for our area.

If you like to garden, I am sure you have heard the phrase “Fall is for Planting,” but do you know why we say this? Fall plantings have a wonderful success rate, especially here in the Midwest. Given the temperate nature of our fall climate with mild temperatures and generally adequate rainfall, the conditions are excellent for establishing new plantings successfully. The result is plants that grow faster and bigger, and they bloom better. The plant’s root systems actually get a second growing season before they have to manage our (normally) hot, dry summers. Plant roots continue to develop long after the leaves drop off in the fall. Roots will continue to grow until freezing of the ground stops them.

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.

September is the perfect month for lawn renovation. 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 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 Urban Forestry Council. 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