-
- Articles
Index : Miscellaneous Gardening Topics
-
-
- 10. October Gardening Activities - Top
- Divide perennial flowers such as penstemon, guara, daisy, society garlic and iris every few years to keep them looking their best. In dividing the clump, use a sharp shovel to dig under the clump starting at the edges. Assume that the roots will extend down into the soil a minimum of 12 inches. Use the shovel to undercut the roots. Continue undercutting with the shovel all the way around the clump. Next, locate the individual plants in the clump. This can be done by lifting the clump out of the ground and pulling the roots apart with your fingers. Individual plants will separate out. If you have difficulty prying the clump apart, cut through it using a sharp shovel or knife. After dividing, space and replant the individual plants. If the older plant in the center of the clump is weak or dying, discard it and only replant the young, healthy ones. Water on a regular basis to encourage the development of a strong root systems on your newly divided perennials.
Over-seed Bermuda grass lawns with perennial ryegrass to create a winter lawn. Before over-seeding with ryegrass, cut the Bermuda grass as low as possible with a rotary mower. Rake and remove the grass clippings. Next, rake the Bermuda grass with a steel tinned lawn rake or power de-thatcher to remove thatch and expose bare soil to accept the seed. Rake up and remove the thatch. Apply the ryegrass seed at the rate of 10 pounds per 1,000 square feet of lawn area. Water the lawn to help wash the seed into the soil . Finally, cover the lawn with a thin layer of sand, compost or aged manure and rake it to help settle it over the seed. Keep the lawn moist at all times until seeds germinate and have grown tall enough for the first cutting. Gradually reduce watering as temperatures cool and the lawn becomes established.
Mums the word for seasonal fall color. A good selection of fall-flowering chrysanthemums (chrysanthemums) are now available in garden centers and nurseries. Choose mums in gallon-sized pots. They’re more expensive, but their root systems are larger and they establish quicker than ones in smaller containers. Look for mums with un-opened flowers, still in the bud stage. These are in the early phase of flowering and will last longer than those who’s flowers are all fully open. Mums purchased in the fall may be enjoyed by leaving them in their container and situating them on the porch or patio, or they can be planted directly into the garden. If you leave them in the container, locate the pot in a sunny location and water frequently. If mums are to be grown on in the garden they should be planted by the end of October. Plants need time and warm soil to establish their roots before cold weather sets in.
Cut back watering frequencies as the weather cools. Plants need less water in the Fall, and even less in the Winter. Besides cooler temperatures, shorter days and less sunlight plants slip into dormancy and there needs for water decrease. Do not alter the length of time you water, when you water. Do however lengthen the intervals between waterings. For instance, if you were watering your landscape plants twice weekly for one hour, then reduce watering to once each week for one hour. Later this Fall you may only need water once every other week for one hour.
Written by John Begeman, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the University of Arizona, 520-626-5161.
- Updated: October 1, 2006
-
-
[e-Mail me
the Articles] - [Search
the Articles]
-
|
