~ October 8, 2008 ~
Pretty Darn Nice...
Today was off to a chilly start but once that bright, fall sun came up it really warmed
up. The high is supposed to be 70° today, near perfect in my book. It looks as
if we might be headed back into the low 80's for the weekend. It is hard to know how
to dress these days. Low 40's to high 50's in the mornings and mid 70's into the 80's
in the afternoons. Layering seems the way to go. This weather reminds me of one of
my favorite US cities - San Diego, California. The weather we are
experiencing right now seems to mirror what they experience daily. Sounds pretty good
doesn't it?
It was great to see some rain yesterday. I enjoyed the drippy, cool day. It was getting
dry and the rain came just at the right time. I love it when Mother Nature cooperates.
I wish she was always so compliant. Well the leaves keep falling, falling, and falling.
The windy and wet conditions helped them to fall everywhere. Our lawn is covered with
them as well as all the gardens. I need to take advantage of this weather and get out
there with a rake. Raking is not for the faint of heart. It is time consuming and arduous.
It is great exercise however and when the weather is so nice who wants to be inside? Better
get to work while I can. Soon it will be too cold and I will not have finished everything
I want to accomplish before winter arrives.
~ Shelly
Don't Dig Too Deep...
Planting a tree this fall? Great idea! Just make sure you do it right.
The planting depth of a new tree is extremely important and often
done improperly. Trees that are planted too deep may not grow as fast
or be as healthy as those planted properly.
Here's what to do. Dig a hole twice as wide and slightly shallower than
the root ball. Roughen the sides and bottom of the hole with a pick or
shovel so that roots can penetrate the soil. The root collar (where
the trunk and roots meet) should be at least even with, and as much
as an inch and a half higher than, the final grade.
Bedtime For Gardens?
We are often asked how and when to "put the garden to bed."
The term "putting the garden to bed" means preparing the
garden for winter and the weather will dictate when that
date is. Our first frost is normally in mid-October
(any time now). How "hard" that first frost is will help
you decide whether or not it is time to cut back all perennials
and rid the garden of all annuals.We always like to squeeze
as much time as possible out of the fall garden knowing that
once that hard frost hits winter is well on its way.We'll
keep you posted on the weather and when that first hard frost is
coming.
Why Isn't My Red Maple Red?
Why do some red maple trees have yellow fall foliage instead
of brilliant red? Although fall color will vary with different
environmental conditions, in many cases the yellow foliage of
these red maples is simply due to the genetics of the individual
tree. Unnamed red maple trees grown from seed are not always
brilliant red. They have highly variable fall color. If you want
a red maple with red foliage in the fall, choose named,
vegetatively propagated red maple cultivars such as Red Sunset,
Magnificent Magenta or Autumn Flame. October Glory has
outstanding foliage color but is late in acclimating for winter
and can be damaged by early cold snaps. However, even these
"good" cultivars will vary in the level of "redness" from year to
year. A number of things can reduce the intensity of color
including extreme heat or drought during the summer and cloudy
days and warm nights in the fall.
Oak Galls?
What are those round bumpy lesions that are appearing on some local
oak trees? Very possibly Oak Galls. A number of tiny non-stinging
wasps, mites and flies are the culprits behind abnormal growths that
develop on the leaves of twigs of oak trees. These galls can include
growths that are round, spiny, flattened, elongated or star-shaped.
Generally, these gall insects do not cause significant damage to their hosts
though some of the leaf galls can cause deformity to make a tree
unsightly. Also, severe infestations of twig galls can cause
twig dieback or, in rare cases, death. However, just because a
twig is covered with galls does not mean that it is dead. Twigs
that otherwise look like a solid mass of galls may still leaf out
in the spring. More details and a photo are available
here...
Deer Deterrents...
To protect your young trees from deer damage, there are a
number of deterrents you can try. Hang bars of strong-scented
soap, mesh bags filled with human hair, paper bags of dried blood
(bloodmeal), or strips cut from white plastic bags on trees that
are likely to be attacked. Remember, deer will become accustomed
to most any deterrent, so alternating items will help.
Source
Poinsettia Planning...
Christmas is still a way off but if you are planning on
displaying home-grown poinsettias it's time to start planning.
Poinsettias are short-day plants and must be tricked into
blooming for Christmas. Follow these steps: Find a dark, cool
(around 55º F) place where the plant will be kept at
"night". It must be absolutely dark as even short exposure to a
light bulb will throw the process out of kilter. Place the
poinsettia in this dark place at 5 PM and leave it there until 8
AM the following day. Between 8 AM and 5 PM place it in a sunny
window where temperatures will remain near 70º F. Do this
for 11 weeks, watering and fertilizing as usual. With care and
patience you should have healthy, blooming poinsettias for the
holidays.
If It's Growing We're Mowing...
When do Savvygardeners stop mowing their lawns? When the
grass stops growing of course. As long as it continues to grow
keep bluegrass cut to 2 inches and tall fescue to 2½ inches.
Don't forget to keep the leaves from piling up and smothering the grass
below!
Finally...
"October is nature's funeral month. Nature glories in death
more than in life. The month of departure is more beautiful
than the month of coming - October than May. Every
green thing loves to die in bright colors."
~ Henry Ward Beecher
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