South October Garden To-Do List

confuse your mums on the compost heap . If you purchased a garden mum ( Chrysanthemumspp . and cvs . , Zones 5 - 9 ) for crepuscule interior decoration , chances are it ’s beginning to pass off . A fast internet search may yield articles urging you to plant your mum in your garden and enjoy it for years to come . However , I ’ve been down that road many times , and it never quite influence out like you suppose . First , given the amount of energy this plant just use on blooms , it barely has enough left to prove well in your landscape . Second , you will be disappointed by the amount of space this plant takes up in family relationship to the blossom . So , post mums to the compost pile and back a local independent garden center or farmers ’ market stand and buy another one next year .

cull bagworm bags off your plant . Both manful and female bagworms make bags constructed from the plant cloth they are feast on . This fourth dimension of yr , the manful bagful are empty . However , the distaff grip are full of egg . To prevent harm next yr , do your good to remove as many of the old bag as potential . ensure to throw these bags in the chicken feed and not the compost . If you cut a dish open , male udder should have an empty pupal tube inside . Some gardeners cover that distaff bags are often higher on the plant life .

Plant trees and bush . Towards the remnant of the calendar month is my infrangible preferred metre of the year toplant hardy treesand shrub in the landscape . October is well-off for both the industrial plant and the gardener . Soil temperature permit for good root growth , so plant will be in a just position to hard establish in the spring . The sound part is the lack of care required for fall plant trees and shrubs in our region . cool temperature and belated winter pelting do most of the body of work for the gardener . However , be cautious in October as it can be the dry calendar month of the year in many southerly garden . Deeply water newly planted trees and shrubs and stay to watch them between now and mid - November .

Prepare to overwinter tropicals . In more moderate division of the South , the end of this month will be clock time to accumulate any non - brave plants youwant to save . Although some are absolutely audacious , tender varieties of elephant ’s spike ( Alocasia , Colocasia , andXanthosomaspp . and cvs . , Zones 8 - 11 ) should be dug to cover their survival of the fittest . Caladiums ( Caladiumspp . and cvs . , Zones 9 - 11 ) should also be removed from the grease and saved in areas weather get below 40 ° degree Fahrenheit consistently . Many of your best-loved annual like coleus ( Plectranthus scutellarioides , Zones 10 - 11 ) can be save bytaking cuttingsand overwinter them as small works indoors .

Keep your Cucurbita pepo clean . Whether you grew them yourself or you buy them , it ’s a good thought to wash pumpkins and gourd you be after on exhibit with a very mild blanching agent solvent . This can help forestall rot and they will last longer . Additionally , displaying them in areas that remain ironic will increase their length of service .

Prevent disease in yield trees . Most of home garden fruit pick is thoroughgoing by the time October flap around in the South . This is the month for clean - up . find fault up any fallen yield on the ground or take fruit left on the tree . This goes for apples , pears , and peaches in particular . An ounce of bar is deserving a Syrian pound of cure . Good sanitisation practices can really help prevent disease in the following class .

Andy Pulte is a faculty member in the plant sciences department at the University of Tennessee .

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Northern California October Garden To-Do List

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multi-color mums

Mums need longer than just the fall to establish well in gardens, so ones that were bought recently for seasonal interest are better thrown away. Photo: Andy Pulte

Close up of bagworms on an evergreen tree