What should I be doing in the garden to get ready for fall?
Fall begins in early September for gardeners. Shortening days and cooler temperatures, especially at night, are signals to plants to change their growth patterns.
- Reduce irrigation: The weather changes mean plants are using less water. Plants irrigated daily can now be irrigated every other day. Sprinklers set to water every other day can now be changed to twice a week.
- Fertilize lawn: This is the time of year when lawns enlarge their root systems. They also make new tillers and rhizomes that thicken turf. Timely fertilization will enhance this growth. I used to wait until October to make a fall lawn fertilizer application. Now I prefer to apply at half the recommended rate in early September and apply the other half in late October. If you subscribe to a lawn fertilization service, they will make both applications for you. The October fertilization will keep your lawn growing and improving in the fall. I prefer a fall lawn fertilizer that contains at least 10 percent potassium, the last number in the formula. This gives the lawn extra resistance to the winter cold.
If you have broadleaf weeds in the lawn, use a weed-and-feed formula that kills weeds at the same time you fertilize.
I like to give a light application of lawn fertilizer to trees and shrubs in October.
