GARDEN TALK WITH DOUG - OCTOBER GARDEN CHORES The sense of autumn is in the air. The evenings are cooler and leaves are beginning to change colors. This makes for a great to time to enjoy gardening and planting. Even our governor has proclaimed October as “FALL IS FOR PLANTING” month. The average first frost in our area usually arrives about October 20th to 25th. October is an excellent month to plant trees and shrubs. Fall planting allows the plants to take advantage of the increased moisture and cooler soil temperatures to develop a stronger more established root system before the harsh summer heat of next year. October is the time to take down your hummingbird feeder. We need to encourage our beloved hummingbirds to begin migrating south for the winter. Pines are shedding their older needles now. Take advantage of this natural, FREE, bounty by using the pine needles as mulch around azaleas, rhododendrons, camellias, and hollies. October is the month to give your lawn its second feeding of lawn fertilizer. October is a great month to purchase bulbs but NOT to plant them yet. We recommend later this month once we cool down a little bit more. Important to continue watering all newly planted shrubs and trees. You do not want plants to be dry going into colder temperatures. It is time to prep your tropical houseplants for coming inside. Once night temperatures fall to the low 50’s it is time. Enjoy October – it is a beautiful month to be living in Virginia!! Posted: 10/4/2014 by Doug Hensel
Posted on: Tue, 07 Oct 2014 12:00:02 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015