October 2008

• Watch for frost warnings and cover tender plants

• It's still a great time to plant trees and shrubs. Make sure to keep them well watered if there isn't sufficient rain. We carry Gator Bags to keep trees and shrubs from drying out.

• Feed your evergreens with Hollytone. All in-store products are now 20% off.

• Add organic matter like LeafGro or compost to your garden and work it in to be ready for spring planting.

• Transplant trees and shrubs now so their roots will have time to grow before frost.

• Put out grass seed or put down sod and fertilize with a product designed for Fall use like Scott's Fall Lawn Fertilizer.

• Clean up any dead or diseased plants in your beds to make room for mums, pansies, and ornamental cabbage & kale. New plants are arriving weekly.

• Replant your containers and add pumpkins, cornstalks, straw bales and gourds to your Fall decorations.

• Pull weeds so there will be fewer in Spring.

• At the end of October, give your lawn its last cut.

• Do not prune Spring-flowering trees or shrubs or you'll remove next year's blooms. These include rhododendrons, azaleas and hydrangeas.

• When the weather cools, set out your Spring-flowering bulbs. Buy them now while there's a good selection and keep them in a cool, dark place until planting time. Don't forget Espoma Bulb Tone to get them off to a good start.

• Spray roses with fungicide/insecticide and fertilize. Bayer All-in-one Rose & Flower Care will do the trick.

• Transplant perennials and clean up any dead leaves or moldy mulch to prevent over-wintering of diseases.

• Even though the weather is getting cooler, don't forget to water - most plants need at least an inch of water per week.

• Spray houseplants with insecticidal soap to prepare them to bring inside. This should be done several times over a 7 day period. Good products for this are Safer Insecticidal Soap and Neem. Check for ant nests and use diatomaceous earth for control.

• Now is a great time to put in ornamental grasses to add texture to your landscape.

• Put up deer fencing or spray with Tree Guard or Liquid Fence to protect your landscape.

• Plant bulbs like Narcissus, Tulips and Hyacinth to bloom in time for the holidays. We have a great selection in stock.

• Prune any broken or dead branches from trees and shrubs.

• Fertilize your houseplants through November with Jack's Classic or Miracle Gro, then cut back on feeding until February.

• Don't cut back iris foliage unless you have to and do not mulch.

• Clean your garden tools and coat with a light oil spray before putting them away for the winter.

• After a hard frost, dig cannas and dahlias. Allow soil to dry, then cut off dead stalks and remove the soil. Place in moist peat moss in a cool area.

• Spray tender broadleaf evergreens like magnolias with Wilt Pruf to help avoid winter burn.