Cool Weather Catch Up
This is the time of year when almost any effort you put into your lawn or landscape will be richly rewarded. Nature works overtime through the fall and seems to deliver double results for every effort. Here are a few ideas that will get your property ready for a great spring.
The soil: make a habit of adding ‘the good stuff’ every fall
You can make a huge difference in how your lawn and plantings grow by adding soil amendments every fall. Lime, sulfur, gypsum, peat moss, even sand can all help in certain situations. Which do you need—and where? Nearly all planting beds will reward you for adding peat, compost or some other type of organic material. And a soil test at least once every three years will tell you about any chemical imbalances. If amendments are applied in the fall, winter rains will dissolve and carry them into the soil. Apply them to the lawn right after aeration for the quickest response.
Lawn feeding: speeds recovery, growth, and increases food storage for spring
Research has proven that heavy fall fertilization is critical to good turf plant growth. Increased plant density; decreased spring mowing and
summer weed problems; improved fall-to-spring color; increased drought tolerance; and decreased disease problems are a few of the benefits.
Timing is important. One or two heavy feedings during the fall assures your plants will have enough food reserves over the winter to emerge with a good root system and healthy start in spring.
Both lawns and landscape plants will show tremendous response to proper feeding during the fall.
Composting, seeding, mulching
If you haven’t yet, consider composting. Fall leaves will give you a good start.
Fall is the best time for re-seeding your lawn. There’s almost no competition from weeds and no worries about crabgrass. And the seed gets established before next summer’s heat.
Mulching beds will protect tender plants through winter and look good too.
From Summer Green to the Rainbow of Fall: How Do Leaves Change Color
Everyone enjoys the brilliant yellows, reds and oranges that appear on trees in the fall, but how does it happen? And why is it so much better some years than others? Tree leaves have a layer of cells called the abscission layer located in the leaf stalk. Abscission means to cut off or remove, and it fits in this case. At the end of the season, the cells in the abscission layer begin to gradually break down. When they’ve broken down completely, the leaf falls off. How long this period lasts is part of what makes a “good” color year.
During this “breakdown” period, the production of chlorophyll stops and the chlorophyll in the leaves breaks down. As chlorophyll disappears, two yellow pigments become visible: carotene and xanthophyll, which give the leaves their yellow color. These pigments are in the leaves all season, but their color is masked by the green of the chlorophyll.
Brilliant red colors depend on two factors: plenty of bright light and cool nights. The bright days promote sugar production in the leaves, and the cool nights trap them there. When sugar concentrations are high in the leaves, a red pigment called anthocyanin is manufactured.
Orange colors are the result of different amounts of the yellow and red pigments mixing for a whole range of in-between colors.
If the nights get too cool or the days are overcast, you end up with an “off year” for tree color. And a killing frost ends the show completely by killing all the pigments in the leaves no matter what stage they’re in.
Fall Fertilization
Fertilizer for your lawn never does more good than in fall. Many folks think that the spring applications are the most important to get things up and growing. But actually, too much spring fertilizer can lead to a flush of growth that can invite disease and pest problems. It almost always makes extra mowings necessary, too.
It’s best for moderate amounts of nutrients to be put down on your lawn at regular times throughout the growing season, finishing up with liberal feedings through the fall.
Here’s why. As days shorten, top growth on grass plants slows down because there’s less sunlight. The green parts of grass require less food. That means that nutrients in fertilizer put down now will be available for use by the roots. Roots will have all fall to convert the fertilizer into stored food, becoming thicker and stronger in the process. When warmer weather returns in a few months, the more efficient root system of your turf will give you a thicker and greener lawn earlier in the spring.
Ideally, the last application should be put on approximately 3 to 5 weeks before top growth stops, so make sure your lawn gets all the fertilizer it needs this fall.
Think Ahead for Rewarding Blooms Next Spring
Do you remember seeing colorful displays of flowering bulbs in your neighbors’ yards last spring? Maybe you thought, “I’d like to put some tulips or daffodils in my yard.” Well, now’s the time to plant all kinds of spring bulbs.
Spring bloomers develop their roots in the fall, before winter really sets in. This growth period is crucial to next spring’s successful flowering. You should purchase bulbs early to allow time to plant them, and to ensure a good selection. If you order bulbs from catalogs, remember to allow for shipping time.
Bulbs will perform better if you prepare the soil before planting them. Dig out the soil to a depth of 10-12" and work in organic matter, like peat moss or compost. To improve drainage, add sand or gypsum. Finally, mix in bone meal or a similar bulb fertilizer before planting. Plant the bulbs with pointed ends up.
Then just relax…and wait for next spring’s show.