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

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

TAGS: Fall, fertilizing, lawn, pests, pH levels
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September: There is Plenty of Time to Prepare for Fall.

Monthly Reminders by oscar on Sunday, September 7, 2014

plant photo

Only a few more days of summer! It was over way too quickly but there is still plenty of time to prepare for Fall. See below for Oscar’s September’s To Do.

Also, now that the grass is not growing as much, it is wise to think about flower bed maintenance or some tree trimming.

Flowers and Other Ornamental Plants:

Divide and move perennials.
Dig and store tender bulbs for the winter.
Stop pruning and fertilizing.
Start fall clean-up in your flower beds and cut back anything that has finished blooming.
Try adding some color to your flower beds with some fall florals. Call Oscar to see what types of flowers are available now.
Spreading wildflower seeds now would be another option to think about.
Consider composting one last time.

Vegetables:

As we are in Region III or USDA Hardiness Zone 8, the best veggies to get started on would be beans, snapbrush, broccoli, cabbages, cauliflower, cucumber and much more. Oscar can happily provide some other ideas depending what you require. You would be surprised to find out how little land space you need for your own homegrown produce. Who needs Farmhouse Delivery, when you have beautiful produce on your doorstep?

Feeding/Fertilizing:

You’re still in time for a little late summer TLC. We just have a couple more weeks before it will be too late.
Turf builder with winter guard can be another option during this time of year.
Don’t forget to get your pre-emergent herbicide onto your lawn before November. Pre-emergent, remember, must be applied by a critical time or it will not work and will not prohibit the growth of crabgrass.

Soil Treatment:

It’s a great time to de-thatch and aerate your lawns.
Top dressing is the best way to fertilize your lawn and prevent fungus problems.
Add mulch, if you have not already.

Trees & Shrubs:

Plant trees and shrubs now. Keep them well watered, if there isn’t sufficient rain.

Pests:

Dispose of any diseased or infested plant debris, to avoid pests problems.

As always, to reiterate, we do all kinds of custom hardscape and design projects. Keep us in mind if you’re tossing around an idea for an outdoor fire pit, porch or patio. Thanks again for allowing us to serve you.

Have a great September!

and the crew

TAGS: Fall, fertilizing, flower beds, soil treatment, tree trimming, vegetable gardening
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April: Spring Fertilizing.

Monthly Reminders by oscar on Monday, April 7, 2014

This time of year is the best for fertilizing for spring. Fertilize established trees, shrubs, turf, and other plants.

Compost is an excellent top dress for lawn, flower beds, and gardens. It replaces any organic matter lost to the plants or watering.

Don’t let weeds go to seed. Treat or pull them. Pulling weeds is still the most effective method for getting rid of them.

When mowing, leave the clippings on the lawn so that they break down and add organic matter to the soil.

The Hill Country can get freezes as late as Easter, and we know how many “inclement weather” days we’ve had in Austin this winter. Be prepared to cover delicate or recently planted plants in case we have a late cold snap.

Consider planting summer cover crops in uncultivated areas in your yard. Cover crops are sometimes referred to “green manures” and will greatly improve your soil.

When planting turf grasses or grass seed, consider a native grass mix for a full sun spot in your yard.

Fall and winter are usually the best times to plant trees and shrubs, but they can be planted with care in the spring. When planting a new tree or shrub, be careful not to use more than 20% compost, if any, in the hole that you dig. Too much compost may cause settling as it breaks down. For natives and well-adapted species, the backfill should ideally be the native soil that you dug from the hole and maybe some amendments depending on the quality of your existing soil and what you are planting. Some natives do not need any amendments.

Prune spring-flowering shrubs, trees, climbing roses, and other “once bloomers” after they bloom.

Divide and transplant late summer- and fall-flowering bulbs.

Mulch trees, shrubs, vegetable gardens, and flower beds with 2-4 inches of mulch.

Conserve landscape water with these rules:

Use good design principles
Thoroughly prepare beds
Limit irrigated turf areas
Make effective use of mulch materials
Choose native or drought tolerant plants
Practice smart general garden maintenance

(Travis County Master Gardeners’ Association – 4^th Edition Garden Guide)