In the Garden With Kerry Heafner

After the triple-digit temperatures of late summer, it’s finally time to immerse our gardens and landscapes into everything fall.  Everything from lawns to lantanas needs a respite from hot temperatures and long, cicada buzzing days.  Moderate temperatures and quiet, cricket chirping afternoons that lead to early twilight make working outside enjoyable again, and there’s not shortage of tasks to accomplish.  Let’s get with it!

LAWNS
No more fertilizer on lawns!  At least, no more nitrogen.  Lawns, like deciduous trees, are heading for dormancy now.  Tricking them into putting out new growth now will disrupt their natural tendency to go dormant.  That will stress your turfgrass, making it more susceptible to any number of fungal issues or weather-related issues that may occur during the remainder of fall and the length of winter.  Lawns should be experiencing their final mowings later this month.  Last year, our first frosts occurred in October.  We’ll see if the same happens this year.  If a lawn has been healthy through the growing season, winterizing isn’t necessary.  If you are going winterize your lawn, your best bet is to make a final application of muriate of potash (0-0-60) at a rate of one or two pounds per acre (43, 560 sq. ft.).  No more nitrogen or phosphorus at this point.  If you still haven’t put down a pre-emergent herbicide for cool-season, broadleaf weeds like henbit and lawn burweed, go ahead and make an application quickly.  Look for products containing dithiopyr.  Fall is the perfect time of year to naturalize areas of your lawn that get a lot of shade and don’t produce a lush, dense area of turf.  Go ahead and remove areas of turf that are thin and performing poorly.  Work the soil by amending with organic matter like peat moss or finished compost.  Shrubs like azaleas, camellias, gardenias are great options for planting in shaded areas.  Don’t forget to mulch with two to four inches of pine straw.

ORNAMENTALS
Petunias, snapdragons, alyssum, flowering tobacco, calendula and dianthus will all provide fall color even though our days may still be warm (mid to high 80s or low 90s).  Of course, look for Louisiana Super Plant selections in garden centers. ‘Supertunia Vista Bubblegum,’ a 2017 selection, is a hot item and for good reason.  Its brilliant color is rivaled only by its hardy constitution.  Don’t be surprised if it overwinters and performs again in spring.  Also look for both ‘Amazon’ and ‘Jolt’ Dianthus, anything in these series will provide brilliant color in fall and spring.  If spring of next year is anything like this past spring, their bloom times will be extended!  And, don’t forget about ornamental peppers, collectively named as Super Plants last year, all cultivars of ornamental peppers will spice up fall decor with brilliants reds, purples, yellows, and oranges!  Be aware, they are edible, but they often are also SUPER HOT.  Pansies and Violas are always on the table for fall color.  Look for the ‘Sorbet’ series in local garden centers.  And, if you don’t see Louisiana Super Plants on the racks, ask our local garden centers to stock more of them.  If you request them, they’ll stock them!

Mums are at their peak now.  Make yours last through fall by giving them a little TLC.  If your mums are in pots or containers, make sure the growing medium stays moist but not saturated.  Also make sure they have adequate drainage.  Full sun is best, but mums will also do well in partial shade.  Garden mums can be installed in flower beds if you want to chance keeping them alive until next fall.  Select a site that is protected from northern and windy exposures.  As with being grown in pots, the soil in the bed needs to be loose and have good drainage.  Amend with peat moss, finely shredded pine bark, or good compost.  Plant mums about two feet apart; they need plenty of space so as not to be leggy.  Mulch with pine straw to conserve water and protect crowns and root systems from freezing temperatures.  Prune several times between midwinter and late spring next year.  Fertilize in spring with a slow-release fertilizer.         

Now through winter is time to install ornamentals like woody perennials.  Native trees like Willow Oak and Southern Sugar Maple are Louisiana Super Plant selections that will provide shade in summer and color in fall.  And, when they drop their leaves, you’ll have a wonderful addition to your compost pile!  Fruit trees seem to be more popular than ever.  Remember, a site with full sun and good drainage is crucial for fruit trees and shrubs.  If you’re installing blueberries, the soil pH is likely already where it needs to be.  Look for any of the ‘Rabbiteye’ varieties when shopping.  Avoid purchasing plants that have had their root systems bound up in plastic bags.  Always purchase potted plants.  Space them so bushes have plenty of room for not only good root system expansion but also for crown expansion.  For most other fruit trees (peaches, plums, pears, etc.) an application of lime (calcium carbonate) will be necessary to raise the soil pH to the 6.5 or 6.8 range.  This is the most often overlooked aspect of planting fruit trees in the ArkLaMiss.  Prepare planting holes before purchasing plants.  Always make each planting hole two to three times wider than the root ball or the pot the tree or shrub is in.  If planting a grafted fruit tree, set the tree at a depth that allows the graft union to remain above soil level.  Backfill the planting hole with soil amended with lime and generous helping of finished compost if you have it on hand.  Water in well, then finish off with a two-inch layer of mulch such as aged wood chips or pine straw.  Root systems will get established over the fall and winter and the tree or shrub will be ready for spring bud break.

VEGETABLES
If we don’t have frosts in October, then the reduced daylight hours will be taking a toll on the last purple hull peas and okra from summer.  Fall tomatoes will likely also be starting to slow down.  Mustard greens should be coming in now, depending on when they were started.  Onion seeds can be started now for transplanting in February.  The young transplants will need protection if temperatures plummet during winter.  For our area, select either short-day or day-neutral varieties.      

Mark you calendars for Friday, October 20th.  My colleague Marcie Wilson will be conducting a seed saving workshop at the LSU AgCenter’s Northeast Research Station in St. Joseph.  There is a twenty dollar registration fee and seating is limited.  Once you save seeds from heirloom or open-pollinated varieties, you have them forever!  I’ll see you each Tuesday at 4:30 on Louisiana Living!