Gardening This Weekend: November 8, 2018
Here is my collection of the most crucial responsibilities for gardeners at this time of the year.
PLANT
• Daffodils, narcissus, jonquils, grape hyacinths and summer snowflakes now. Last chance to put tulip and Dutch hyacinth bulbs into the refrigerator to give them their 45 days of “pre-chilling” before planting them into the garden toward the end of December. Without the treatment they will not flower properly in Texas.
• Trees and shrubs from the nursery. Inventories are shrinking. If you want to take advantage of fall planting to give them a head start on getting established, you must get them planted now.
• Pansies, pinks, ornamental cabbage and kale and other cool-season annuals now. For the record, planting in large pots allows you to get them up and out of the way of rabbits, a common problem. However, they’ll also be more vulnerable to cold damage in extreme weather.
PRUNE
• Stubble from perennial garden, leftover vegetables and annual beds.
• Dead and damaged branches from trees, shrubs and vines.
• Patio plants to reshape them before bringing them inside for the winter.
• Mow lawn regularly to keep fallen leaves picked up. If they compact atop the grass they will encourage development of diseases. Use the leaves as a mulch beneath shrubs or put them into the compost.
FERTILIZE
• Cool-season annual color with high-nitrogen, water-soluble plant food to get plants off to a quick start.
• Compost pile with nitrogen fertilizer to supply microorganisms with the nutrition they need to speed the decay process.
• Cool-season grasses fescue and rye with a high-nitrogen lawn fertilizer. They are able to utilize the nitrogen in cooler soils. It is too late to feed warm-season grasses.
ON THE LOOKOUT
• Spray broadleafed weeds (those that aren’t grasses, including henbit, clover, dandelions, thistles and chickweed) with a broadleafed weedkiller containing 2,4-D. Read and follow label directions for the best results. You need to make this application before temperatures turn really cold in a few weeks.
• Brown patch in St. Augustine. Look for browned circles of turf. As the disease develops, the circles may meld together. Apply a labeled turf fungicide to stop its development. See related story in recent issue of e-gardens.