Fall Lawn and Garden Chores

Now is the right time to get your lawn and garden ready for next season. Start with your lawn. Lawns are generally in a recovery mode from the heat and stress of the summer. The work you do now will prepare your lawn for next spring and summer. You can still effectively treat broadleaf weeds in the lawn.

Use a selective herbicide such as Weed Free Zone to control weeds without harming your grass and it works in cooler temperatures. This is also a good time to seed those bare spots in the lawn. Begin by raking the area to clean up dead grass and debris.

Spread some compost over the area, apply your seed, cover the seed with compost and water in. Keep the soil moist until the grass seed germinates.

About Halloween, apply a Winterizer Fertilizer to your lawn. The fertilizer will be stored in the roots, ready for spring green up. Your lawn will look great next spring.

Now's the time to start cleaning up your garden. Remove and trash any plants that had diseases or insect problems. This will help reduce insect and disease problems next spring. The rest of your clippings can go into the compost pile.

Fall is a great time to add organic material, such as Sheep, Peat and Compost. Add 2" to 3" of compost and peat moss and dig it in. Another way to improve your garden soil is to plant a cover crop of Winter Rye or clover. Let it sit all winter, than turn it over in the spring. If you haven't tested your soil recently, you can do so with a home test kit or by sending a soil sample to Colorado State University soil test lab. They will give you a comprehensive analysis of your soil.

October is the time plant spring flowering bulbs - tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and crocus. These bulbs are hardy enough to survive our winter weather, and bring spring color to your garden for many years to come.  

Add some Dutch Bulb Food when you plant.

Now's the time to clean up and lightly prune roses. Remove any old hips and withering flowers. Cut canes to about 2'. Hard pruning roses will come in the spring. When the ground is cold, add rose collars and mulch to your roses.

Mulching roses and perennials late in the season will help keep the ground cold and stable. You'll have less winter kill.You should wrap deciduous trees if they've been in the ground five years or less.

This will prevent damage to the trees from the winter sun. Keep watering. Even though its late in the season, your lawn, perennials, trees and shrubs will handle winter weather better if they are well hydrated. Remember to water through the winter. Pick a warm day and water trees and shrubs about every four to five weeks through the winter. Your garden and lawn will do better next season.