October: Autumnal winds are starting to blow bringing in cooler temps and shorter days.

Posted in Monthly Reminders by oscar on Thursday, October 9, 2014

autumn plants Autumnal winds are starting to blow bringing in cooler temps and shorter days. Because the seasons are changing, now is the best time of year to pamper your plants and re-energize your soil. See below for our current October To-Do List:

FEEDING AND FERTILIZING

Now is the best time to fertilize all around your garden. From trees all the way down to ground covers. Feed your evergreen plants, shrubs and especially your fruit trees. They need feeding/fertilizing about four times per year.
There’s just enough time to apply pre-emergent treatments. If you want to apply any organic weed control, time is of the essence. Do not delay.
Test the pH of your soil. Do you know whether your soil is acidic, alkaline or neutral? Allow us to come by and determine your soil’s chemical composition. Different plants require different pH levels, so once you know your soil’s pH, you can plant plants that will thrive in that particular soil. Or, you can also amend the soil to expand the range of plants you can use.

LAWN

It is always a good idea to mow regularly in order to control weeds. You can never go too short.
De-thatching and aerating your lawn would be very helpful for your lawns’ health.
Top dressing your lawn would strengthen the root systems, and it also would be handy for fungal problems. Fungi can be a intensely problematic during this time of year. Please note: In order to control fungal issues, make sure you don’t water your lawn at night.
Some trees such as Crape Myrtles should be treated during this time of year for Powdery Mildew.

PESTS

Mosquitos: natural pest control is an option that we’d love to discuss with you. Ever thought of attracting some of Austin’s famous bats to your home? They sure do love feasting on those nasty little pests. It’s worth considering.
Pay attention to dead or brown spots on your lawn. You could have a grub infestation. Let us come by and assess.
Believe it or not, there is such a thing as a beneficial nematodes Again, let nature’s food chain work for you. Beneficial nematodes feast on and control over 250 different species of insects that spend some part of their lives underground. They are a very efficient and kill most insects before they become adults. This includes many common lawn and garden pests such as grubs, fleas, mole crickets, japanese beetles and weevils, etc.

CLEAN UP AND MAINTENANCE

As fall comes to an end and winter draws near, you may find clumps of leaves in the most problematic places, i.e. your drains, gutters, pools, etc. Call us to clean out and haul off any offending fall foliage. We can even compost it and create mulch for your lawn.
Consider a winter clean-up. Have us come by to manicure your trees. We would remove dead branches which aids in creating balance once your tree starts regrowing again in the spring. We can do the same with your shrubs.

PLANTING

It is now a great time to plant vegetables like beets, broccoli, kale, cabbage, carrots, etc. Fall is also a great time to plant herbs like bronze fennel, Mexican mint marigold, cilantro, parsley, sorrel and dill. Flowers that like to be planted during this time of year are pansies, petunias, Forget-Me-Nots, Indian Blanket and the like.
Don’t forget: the grass in your lawn will soon stop growing and become dormant. One option is to overseed with rye grass. If you decide to overseed, it is a good idea maintain your feeding and fertilization schedule so that your existing grass comes back strong and lush in Spring.
If you’re consider planting any trees, it is strongly recommended that you do so as soon as possible.

ADDITIONAL PROJECTS

If you want to expand the variety of birds around your house, you might want to consider getting some bird feeders. Since Halloween is just around the corner, don’t forget to save those seeds and replant them. Nothing better than harvesting your own pumpkins for the season. Happy Autumn! and the crew