On the occasion of the start of the new season, I thought that this would be the most successful post for this week. The following tasks, all convenient during the fall, will keep you occupied for a few days in the garden; Something I suspect will certainly be to your liking. There are 8 gardening jobs to do during the fall.
On September 22, summer was over in the northern hemisphere. However others, in the southern half of the planet, rub their hands thinking about the arrival of good weather. What are we going to do... that's life!
For many, autumn is a sad season, a prelude to the winter cold. I consider it more an opportunity, something like a spring in reverse, where you can repair the enviges of the summer or capture new ideas.
Planting
With the arrival of rains and falling temperatures autumn is a perfect opportunity to make new plantations.
Whether you need to replenish the casualties caused by the heat or to carry out larger projects, the entrance of autumn is an excellent framework for planting with guarantees in the garden. Throughout the season, trees, shrubs or herbaceous plants will have all the time necessary to acclimatize, before the winter lethargy.
Take advantage now to transfer to the earth the specimens bought in pot or with root ball; best moment impossible. He waits, however, to plant deciduous trees "on a naked root"; Handling is not yet convenient. It is better to wait until they lose the leaf and enter a vegetative stop, in late autumn or early winter.
If you are interested in learning more about this topic, take a look at "Gardening Tips".
Make cuttings
For the same reason, it is a good opportunity to vegetatively reproduce the plants that you like. This will ensure you get a copy identical to the mother plant; Something impossible through cultivation from seed.
You can make cuttings, layers or division of forest, depending on the peculiarities of each species. At this time the tissues will not lose so much moisture and will have more margin to generate roots.
Ivy, mint, geraniums, cóleos, potos, yucas, dahlias and the great majority of coarse, are some of the plants indicated to reproduce by cuttings.
The biggest problem at this station could be the excess moisture. It is advisable to monitor the condition of the substrate to avoid the proliferation of fungi.
If you want to know more details about this technique do not miss "How to make cuttings of the plants that you like".
Works on the lawn
If you have lawns in your garden, it may have been reduced by heat or a failure in irrigation during the summer. I hope not, but if it has been so, now is the time to solve it.
But first, it should be used to scarify and aerate. If too much soil has accumulated, it will need to be removed. Then only the typical barbed roller is passed or punctured with the gallows; You will ensure the correct aeration of the roots again.
Here you can find an electric scarifier, so you do not have to break your back.
As a result, bald areas or poor areas can be restructured without remorse. There are special re-breeding mixes that will ensure rapid coverage of meadow failures.
You just have to hollow out the soil and spread the seeds. Then cover slightly with soil fertilized and compacted a little with what you have at hand.
If you maintain adequate humidity, in two weeks you will enjoy a renewed lawn.
In this link to Amazon you can find suitable grass seeds for a quick repopulation.
Another possibility, if your lawn is Bermuda (fine grass), is to do a resiembra with Ray Grass. In this way the expected "browning" of the grams is corrected after the arrival of winter. Of course, it is also a good time to install a complete meadow. Autumn is even more convenient than spring when sowing is of soft climate.
If you are thinking of lawn care, you may be more interested in these low maintenance options.
Fertilize
All this energy deployment is a huge expense for your plants. Therefore, with the arrival of autumn will be convenient to pay again.
Liquid fertilizer is the most practical for your pots and flower beds. This will certainly not mean anything to you. You know that since spring, you have to pay every fortnight. Add a little plug to the watering and ready. You can find it in this link.
For garden plants, you can incorporate slow release fertilizer. The well-known Nitrofoska, the one of the blue balls, is very comfortable to use. You just have to spread a little on the substrate; They will have enough nutrients until winter arrives.
Always read the manufacturer's instructions so as not to go over the quantity; You could burn your roots.
Reschedule automatic irrigation
If the temperatures decrease and the expected rains arrive, logically the irrigation needs will plummet. It is therefore consistent to change the automatic irrigation schedule.
Lawn, for example, will no longer need to be wet daily, with two or three days a week will suffice.
Decreases progressively to an acceptable frequency. To adjust it serve the calculations, but do not dismiss the observation. If the soil stays soaked for too long, the plants will become sick; Keep it in mind.
The danger at this time, rather than lack of water, may be the deficiency of air in the soil. If you water too much and you hog the ground, the roots can not breathe.
Combat pests and diseases
At the end of the summer the pests do not end; Autumn continues to be a sweet time for bugs that parasitize plants. You should be alert to some warning signs: sticky or twisted leaves could be the symptom of the existence of aphids, mealy bugs or white flies.
But perhaps the fungi are the most benefited by the increase of humidity. Powdery mildew, for example, so common in rose bushes, takes advantage of wet leaves to proliferate. Phytophthora, on the other hand, takes root in soggy or poorly drained soils. This, to make matters worse, is very difficult to stop. If you have pest or disease problems, do not despair. In the blog you have numerous entries, where I explain how to deal with these issues.
Collection of sheets
With the passage of the weeks, as they go lowering the temperatures, the plants will assume their habitual stop of growth. Some will sacrifice the parts exposed to the cold, recovering the sap and letting them dry.
This does not mean that they have died; The buried areas will still be alive and well, waiting for better conditions to re-emerge. This is the case with bulbs and other vivacious ones. Persicaia affinis, for example, has this behavior.
To avoid the unsightly effect, it will be time to prune those structures. It does not interest a garden full of dry stalks. Do not worry, in spring they will reappear.
Other plants, including many shade trees, prefer to give up only the leaves (deciduous species). In a short time, the glasses, which once protected us from the sun, are now naked and with leaves on the ground. There is no choice but to collect them, but they can be given a dignified end.
You can crush them and use them as mulching, at the feet of the tree itself. You will delay the emergence of weeds, while protecting the soil structure. You can also recycle them as compost, making your own compost. With this garden composter you can produce your own natural fertilizer.
Pruning
Once the plants, deciduous or not, are in a period of lethargy (late autumn or winter), it will be a good time for pruning. This is not pruning for pruning, you must always have a justified cause. It can be for your training, for the maintenance of your bearing or to contain your size. Keep in mind that fruit trees deserve another consideration. If there are, it will also be a wise move to trim the hedges. Thus, the work will hold you until the arrival of spring.
This is only a guide to the possible work to be done during the fall, in a medium and family garden. It is up to you to adapt it to your particular condition.
