Welcome to Fall's to do list.
Essential Fall Garden Cleanup
• Cleaning away diseased and damaged plant material at the end of the growing season is an essential fall chore. The fungi and bacteria that cause so many problems can overwinter on contaminated stems and roots. Removing these havens for disease will reduce the chance of seeing blight, mildew, gray mold fungus, root rot, and wilt in next year’s garden.
• Lawns should be prepared now for next spring. Aerate and thatch if the soil is compacted. This will allow the soil to drain better and give the roots much needed oxygen. Seeding can be done as well as fertilizing. Seeding early in fall will give the new roots plenty of time to become established before winter.
• When a thick layer of leaves carpets the soil, they break down and form a crust, called a leaf pack. Sometimes, the surface of the leaf pack becomes so hard and dense that water can’t get through it. Anything growing beneath a heavy leaf pack is in danger of being smothered. Grass is particularly vulnerable; you really must remove fallen leaves from your lawn.
• Perennial plants are left in the ground all winter, so good care in the fall will improve your chances for healthy growth in the spring. Some gardeners cut back all their perennial plants in the fall to a height of three to six inches. Others only remove the stems and foliage of damaged plants. Most gardeners choose an approach somewhere between these extremes. It’s essential to remove any plant growth that showed a serious problem in the previous year. It’s a good idea to remove foliage and stems of any plant that often has problems in your garden. Peonies and roses, for example, are vulnerable to black spot, so most gardeners remove the foliage even if it was healthy all summer. Iris should also be cut back, because the eggs of iris borers overwinter on iris leaves and attack the rhizomes in the spring. Phlox is often troubled by powdery mildew, and if that is a problem in your beds, cut back phlox stems also
• When you cut back perennials, it is a good idea to mark their location with a stake. That way, you’ll know where they are in the spring! This is also a good time to make a sketch or map of your garden, indicating which perennials you have and where each one is located. That will make garden planning more fun all winter as well as reminding you of plant locations in early spring.
• Cutting back other perennials is optional. Many gardeners admire the look of plant stalks covered with snow or ice. Others like to watch the birds that gather to eat dried seeds from perennials like Echinacea.
• In areas with cold winters and little snow cover, perennials will benefit from protective winter mulch.
• One of the most neglected fall chores is watering...once the weather cools, we often forget that our plants still need water. Be sure your gardens are well irrigated shortly before freeze up, whether by deep, soaking rains or by your irrigation system.
Thanks to; Lou Paun-garden.lovetoknow.com and Georgiana Marshen/Hillclimb Media
Making Your Outdoors Home
