Gardening Tips for October

LAWNS

• You can start mowing newly-seeded or sodded lawn as soon as the grass is tall enough to mow (over 3 inches).
• Shred fallen leaves into the ground with your mulching mower.  The lawn will not suffocate from the shredded leaves as long as you can see the grass blades after mowing.
• Mow your lawn a little lower than usual when you mow for thelast time this year.  A long lush lawn is bad over winter since it attracts rodents and creates disease problems.

FLOWERS

• You can plant tulips, daffodils, and other bulbs until the ground is frozen.  Try to plant these bulbs soon so they can get their roots established before winter.
• Clean up your perennial garden by removing any diseased foliage from your bed.  This will reduce the likelihood of disease infecting your plants next spring.
• Mulching should not be applied over perennial flowers until after the ground has frozen (around Thanksgiving).  Mulching before this time attracts rodents and prevents the natural hardening of plants.

TREES

• Evergreens are not forevergreens.  The older needles, which are located near the inside of the plant, naturally turn brown and drop.
• Needles from healthy evergreens do not need to be raked.  Fallen needles will mulch the ground beneath the tree.  The acidity of the needles will help the growth of the evergreen.
• Evergreens should have been planted by the end of September.
• Young trees should be wrapped to protect their bark from sunburning and cracking.  Wrap them from the base of the tree to the lowest branch. A plastic drain tile can also be used; cut the tile to the proper length and slice the tile vertically to allow you to slip it around the trunk.  Trees should be protected at least a few years until they develope a rough texture to their bark.