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In The Garden With Kerry Heafner

By Nathan Coker
In In the Garden
Oct 4th, 2022
0 Comments
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This cabbage was nearly 4 feet across!  A testament to homemade compost!

Booooo!! October can be a veddy sceddy time in our landscapes because it is a month of transition. The number of daylight hours continues to decrease and our deciduous trees and shrubs are responding accordingly. If your trees and deciduous shrubs don’t look so hot right now, they’re probably just gearing up metabolically for dormancy.  Unless you’re seeing a premature foliage drop, sawdust around the base of the tree or shrub indicating a beetle infestation, or bark sloughing off when it shouldn’t be, your trees and shrubs are likely just fine.    

LAWNS
This month is the perfect time to overseed lawns with ryegrass if a green lawn is desired after warm-season turf grasses have gone dormant. Sow about 10 pounds of seed per 1,000 square foot area. Water regularly until seeds germinate, then begin applying fertilizer two or three weeks after germination. Apply 8 to 12 pounds of a starter-type fertilizer per 1,000 square feet of lawn area. Then, during the winter months, 3 pounds of ammonium nitrate (32-0-0) per 1,000 square feet can be applied twice for color and growth. Mow as you would during the regular growing season. For lawns that will not be overseeded, an application of a pre-emergence herbicide now will help control fall and winter weed growth. Common winter weeds include henbit, chickweed, annual bluegrass, bedstraw, Carolina geranium, and burweed. In preparation for winter, raise the mowing height by 1/4 to 1/2 inch to encourage deeper root growth and increase cold tolerance. Many feel the need to winterize lawns with fertilizers containing high amounts of phosphorous (P) and potassium (K) relative to nitrogen (N). Winters in our region typically aren’t severe enough to warrant winterization. If rain is scarce, nutrients may not become available until late winter or early spring when growth is vulnerable to frost damage.  

Brown patch may be visible in fall just as it was in spring. It begins with tan lesions across the lawn that eventually increase in diameter ranging from a few inches to a few feet wide. Blades develop reddish brown margins and wilt. The pattern usually develops in a circular pattern. Control with a recommended fungicide like myclobutanil per manufacturer’s directions on the label.    

COMPOSTING
Speaking of lawns, save those grass clippings for a compost pile.  Start a compost pile now and reap the benefits next season.  Composting involves layering organic debris, composed largely of cellulose, into a pile so that bacteria, fungi, and beneficial insects break the material down into a nutrient-rich soil amendment.  With regular turning and watering, the metabolic activity of microbes should heat the internal area of the pile to as high as 120 degrees Fahrenheit.  Indeed, steam will often billow from the pile if it’s opened during the composting process. Finished compost will be black, contain no recognizable plant parts, and will crumble easily in your hand.  Earthworms may find the pile and add nitrogen-rich castings as they help break down the organic material.  In addition to grass clippings from the lawn, plant-based kitchen scraps and coffee grounds and filters make excellent additions to compost piles.  Also include dead plant material from the previous season’s flower beds.  For best results, screen finished compost and toss large pieces of debris back onto the pile for further decomposition.  Combine finished compost with potting media for a boost of nutrients to plants and seedlings.

BULBS AND BEDDING PLANTS
Plant bulbs this month and into November and December for a blast of color in spring. Bulbs that do well in our region include windflower (Anemone coronarium), crocus, crocosmia, dog-tooth violet (Erythronium sp.), snow bells (Leucojum aestivum), snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis), grape hyacinth (Muscari sp.), daffodils (Narcissus sp.), and Ranunculus sp. Begin refrigerating bulbs of tulips (Tulipa sp.) and hyacinth (Hyacinthus sp.) late this month for planting in December and January. Refrigeration ensures an adequate number of chill hours for optimum bloom. If you haven’t already done so, October is a good time for dividing and replanting Louisiana iris.  Dig up rhizomes being careful not to damage the young offshoots. Taking care to not let rhizomes dry out, separate the new offsets from the old rhizomes. Old rhizomes can be discarded. Return the new offsets to the bed which should get six to eight hours of full sunlight, and should not be near trees or plants with extensive root systems. Louisiana Irises will grow in a variety of soils, wet or dry, and those with a pH of 6.5 or thereabouts are ideal.  Don’t forget about Louisiana Super Plant selections that can go into the fall landscape!  ‘Redbor’ Kale and the ‘Sorbet’ series of Violas (pansies) are just perfect for this time of year and will add both color and texture to your fall beds.  ‘Redbor’ Kale is also a great edible, so kill two birds with one stone!   

VEGETABLE GARDENS
Cool-season herbs can be planted this month. If starting an herb garden consider planting the following for reliable fall results:

• Parsley (Petroselinum crispum)

• Cilantro (Coriandrum sativum)

• Chives (Allium schoenoprasum)

• Dill (Anethum graveolens)

• Thyme (Thymus sp.)

• Mint (Mentha sp.)

• Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile)

• Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)

Cole crops dominate fall vegetable gardens in our area.  This month, plant beets, carrots, and lettuce, and radishes from seeds, and broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, Swiss chard, and onions from transplants. Day-neutral or short-day onion varieties can be seeded into a row, allowed to grow and overwinter, and then transplanted in late February for bulbing.  If you’re not growing a fall garden, consider planting a cover crop to improve the soil for next season. Good cover crops include rye, hairy vetch (Vicia hirsuta) and clovers (Trifolium sp.) and should be turned into the soil just before blooming.  This is a very cost-effective way to add organic matter to the soil.