Discover helpful tips and things to be aware of while tending to your garden or yard this season.
Woody plants
Late fall is considered the ideal time for fertilizing trees. It can be beneficial to review why one is fertilizing to begin with to maintain reasonable vigor so plants withstand environmental stresses and pests. Minimal fertilization is suggested until a tree is well established. After that, new growth of 9-12 inches is recommended, increasing or reducing fertilizer to maintain this.
Correct site selection will reduce fertilizer needs as the tree will grow more. Mature trees often require no fertilizer, as nutrients cycling occurs. To increase nutrient cycling maintain as large a mulch area around the tree as possible and leave grass clippings on the lawn. Surface application of fertilizer is used by most. Applying fertilizer in holes is employed for problem situations and difficult soils and should be researched so the correct technique is used.
Plan for next year's tree and shrub plantings now. You can plant trees and shrubs, and their roots will grow some through the winter. However, the time period to plant is tight (before Thanksgiving), and the supply is also often limited.
In addition to looking through catalogs and other resources to determine what to plant, also consider working up the soil, as long as we don't have saturated conditions. I am often surprised how novice growers don't realize proper soil preparation is 75 percent of the work and a key to success. Why wait until the spring? If organic amendments need to be made and the area raised for beds or mounded for trees, this is an ideal time; it will make spring planting so much quicker.
To protect evergreens (broadleaf and needle) from cold, dry winds, and the resulting winter injury, apply an anti-desiccant or anti-transperant spray to seal in moisture. Apply in late November or early December on a day when temps are 40 degrees or higher until nightfall. The spray must dry before it freezes.
Roses
Roses normally need a light fall pruning and a more thorough spring pruning. Regarding winter protection, many old-fashioned, shrub and ramblers are reliably hardy and need little or no winter protection. The hybrid tea floribunda, grandiflora and climbing hybrid tea roses may be injured during severe winters. For this reason, some protection is necessary to ensure their survival. Planting in protected locations reduces the need for special winter protection.
The best form of winter protection is to mound up each plant at its base with loose, friable (crumbly) soil that drains well. This soil should be mounded up around the base of the canes to a height of 10-12 inches. Don't scrape up soil from between the plants or roots may be injured. Bring it from another spot in the garden.
Loose compost or aged sawdust may be used in place of soil for winter protection. Don't use leaves, grass clippings, manure or materials that would remain wet or rot around the canes and promote disease. Evergreen branches or straw placed over the mounds will give additional protection.