IT’S TIME TO FALL AHEAD

Just because summer is a fading memory, don’t let our green thumb rest.  Next year’s success begins right now.  So get busy and focus on three fall chores:  sanitation, pruning and planting.

                                                    Good Garden Sanitation 

            One good way to help control garden pests, both diseases and insects, is to practice good “garden sanitation.”  Though we may be tired of garden chores by now, spending some time cleaning up this fall may alleviate problems next season.

            As a general rule, clean up any plant material that had disease problems this season.  Fungal spores left for the winter may come back in the spring.  This includes things like black spot on rose, scab on crabapple, Septoria leaf spot on tomato, and fungal leaf blight on peony.  Though you may not be able to clean up every little bit of refuse, you can eliminate a lot of spores in what you do clean up.  And certainly, plants that were diseased should not be put in the compost pile or turned under in the garden to disintegrate.  It takes a temperature of 180°F to destroy many plant diseases.        

Prime Time To Prune   

Just as fall is a great time to transplant, it is also a great time to prune.  These are a few reasons why it’s a good idea to prune now:

       •   Branch structure is more visible.

       •    Less risk of damage to turf and flower beds.

       •    Pruning cuts close over more quickly the following year.

 Periodic pruning can make the difference between a problem tree and a beautiful landscape specimen.  Pruning may involve any of the following

 •  Removing deadwood or broken branches.

 •  Correcting the form or shape of the tree.

 •  Removing rubbing or crossing interior branches.

 •   Reducing the density of the canopy.

 •   Removing low hanging branches.

 •   Clearing branches from structures or other tree.

Tree-rific Time To Plant It

            Fall is a great time for planting many types of trees.  The cooler, moister weather of fall makes for less stressful conditions and lessens your chances of root loss.

            The fall planting season usually begins after the leaves fall, but before the soil freezes.  The sooner you can plant after the leaves fall, the better.  This enables more time for root growth before the ground freezes.  Moving plants during this time is best because the shoots no longer place a high demand on the root system for water.  Therefore, there is less stress involved for the plant.  Many needle-leaf evergreens also can be moved safely during this time.  Although the leaves are still there, the water intake is much less than in the summer.

Keep It Warm

            The biggest threat to transplanted fall trees is the winter freezing and thawing of the soil followed by heaving of the plant from the soil.  For that reason, do not plant your trees more than a few inches above grade.  Also, mulching new transplants after the soil has begun to freeze will help prevent this freezing and thawing cycle.

            Plants that may be successfully planted in early to late fall include:  arborvitae, ash, black locust, buckeye, cork tree, crabapple, elm, ginkgo, hackberry, honey locust, juniper, linden, maple, mulberry, osage orange, pagoda tree, pine, redbud, serviceberry and spruce.

            Plants that survive better when planted in the spring include:  bald cypress, beech, birch, blackgum, catalpa, cherry, dogwood, fir, goldenrain tree, hawthorn, hemlock, hickory, magnolia, mountain ash, oak, pear, poplar, sassafras, sourwood, sweet gum, tulip poplar, walnut, willow, yellowwood.

Think Spring

            If you’re hoping for flowers to spring up in the spring, you’d better fall back on some gardening techniques this fall.  Most importantly:  plant your bulbs before the ground freezes.

This fall Americans will plant approximately 1.6 billion tulips, hyacinths, daffodils and other flowering bulbs.  Bulbs are nature’s little miracle:  the flower is already inside the bulb waiting to grow and bloom next spring.  The bigger the bulb, the bigger the flower.  Don’t worry if the bulb’s onion-like, papery skin (tunic) is ripped.  This is no problem and may even help faster rooting.

            Extend the bloom season by selecting a range of bulbs that flower throughout the early spring, mid-spring and late spring seasons.

            Plant bulbs in the fall starting when nighttime temperatures stay between 40-50°F.  But, be sure to plant approximately six weeks before the ground freezes to allow sufficient time for rooting.  Bulbs will root best in cool soil and once rooted undergo natural changes that keep them from freezing.  Water your bulbs after planting to help them start the rooting process. 

            After planting, apply slow release “bulb food” fertilizer on the top of

the ground to supply nutrients for the second year’s bloom.  (Bulbs are already fully charged with energy for peak flowering performance in their first spring bloom season.)  Do not put the fertilizer in the hole with the

bulb as this may burn the bulb’s tender roots.

            Bone meal has little value as a bulb fertilizer and often draws rodents and dogs that dig up bulbs looking for bones.

            After the ground cools or freezes, cover your bulb beds with a lightweight mulch 2 - 4 inches thick to keep down weeds and maintain a consistently cool soil temperature.

LATE FALL FERTILIZATION

  While fertilizing your grass in September improves its color and quality, a second and final application in late October to mid-November, improves the overall health of the grass.

            Benefits from this fertilization include a darker green color later in the fall and an earlier green-up the following spring.  This increases grass density; improved root mass and root depth; a reduced need for spring fertilizer and therefore a reduction in the spring surge growth phenomena.  Nitrogen is the most important nutrient in the late fall   feeding.  One to two pounds of actual nitrogen per 1000 square feet should be applied shortly after the grass stops growing, but is still green.  Do not expect any surge growth in the fall.  However, do expect extended greening into early winter and improvement in color and quality the following spring.

Bring it Home:

If you’ve been lucky enough to have your porch or patio graced with a fern, lily or other house plant during the warm weather, be sure to move those plants back inside well before the first frost.

            But keep in mind, plants are like people when it comes to moving - it causes stress.  Due to the dramatically difficult temperatures and light found inside your home, you must take certain steps to alleviate some of your plant’s stress.

            To help ease the stress, follow these guidelines:

            • Don’t move plants on a hot day.  Your air conditioning can really shock a plant that has become accustomed to the heat of summer.

            • Inspect closely for insects.  You’re not inviting everyone in for the winter, and you may need to use an insecticide soap spray to prove this point.

            • Try to maintain the light exposure the plant is familiar with.  If your plant was in full sunlight, put it now in your sunniest window.  Don’t

be alarmed if some leaves fall off. That’s a common side effect and new leaves will grow back.     

            • Repot plants that have become root bound.  The pot should be two inches bigger than before.

            • Keep plants properly watered.

            • Fertilize your newly housebound plants only once or twice while

inside.  You can begin again in the spring.

Tom McNutt is a professor emeritus at The Ohio State University and a retired TV garden expert.