Fall is For Planting

Fall is for planting 

September is a great time to plant and there are a number of reasons this is so. The daytime temperatures are cooler and the soil temperature is still warm, a perfect combination for planting perennials, shrubs and trees. There are fewer insects and diseases to contend with. You generally have more time for gardening in the fall. The weather isn't quite as tricky as it is in the spring and you don't have that "spring rush" feeling to get everything done after winter.

There is a great selection of perennials to choose from now, including bearded iris, colorful sedums, blanket flowers, clematis, ornamental grasses and much more. Edibles such as raspberries, grapes, blackberries can be planted now, as well as flowering shrubs such as potentilla and butterfly bushes.

This is a great time to plant roses, as well. The key to fall planting is to prepare the soil, before you plant.  The advantage this time of year is the soil is warm and dryer making it easier to incorporate amendments. Organic amendments such as compost, peat moss and coconut coir  will make your existing soil healthier and more fertile by improving soil texture, helping to lower pH (make your soil more acidic) and encouraging worms and microbes to flourish.

Amendments should be incorporated into the planting site at a 50:50 ratio with the existing soil. Prepare a spot twice as large as the container your plant came in and half again as deep.

Once you have the soil prepared, add Root Stimulator to the planting hole. Remove the plant from its container and break up the root ball. Place the plant in the planting hole just below grade, enough to form a slight depression in the soil. This will help keep water from running off too quickly.  Even though the temperatures during the day are cooler so there's less moisture loss, it's important to keep your plants watered as fall deepens into winter.  All plants will handle winter weather better, if they are well hydrated. After first hard frost, when the ground is cold add a 2" to 3" layer of mulch to help hold in the moisture and keep the ground cold and stable through the winter. Water your plants every 4-5 weeks during the winter. 

Dahlias, a Fall Favorite

Very few plants offer as many colors, sizes and forms as dahlias do. Dahlias can be grown successfully in the garden or in containers and will bloom from mid-summer to first frost. 

Dahlias originated in Central America where they were called Acocotli and Cocoxochitl by the ancient Aztecs. Spanish explorers brought the plants back to Europe and it was a staff member at the Royal Gardens in Madrid, Spain who named the plant after Swedish botanist Andreas Dahl.  Dahl considered the flower a vegetable. The first varieties with large, double flowers were bred in Belgium in the early 1800’s.

Now there are hundreds of varieties to choose from, ranging in size from less than 2" in diameter to over 8" and flower types from ball to semi-cactus. Dahlias are grown from tubers and are planted in late May through early June, when the soil temperature is warm enough and late spring frosts are rare. Dahlias love the sun, so pick a place in the garden that gets the most sun during the day. 

Dahlias will grow in an area where there is some shade, but the plants will be taller and you’ll typically get fewer flowers. Amend the planting site with compost and peat moss. Mark each tuber as you plant it and water thoroughly. Planting time is also the right time to add staking. Dahlias will need to be staked in order to keep the stalk upright and the blooms from falling over. Stakes should be at least six feet tall and driven into the ground until firm. Once vegetation has emerged, feed your dahlia tubers with a fertilizer that is high in Phosphate and Potassium and low in Nitrogen.

About August, you’ll see buds forming at the top of the stalks. Blooms follow shortly and will continue until frost, providing color to your garden and forage for the pollinators. 

Dahlias are tender bulbs and must be dug and stored through the winter if you want to save them. You’ll be amazed at how much the tubers have grown through the season. Wash the tubers off and let them dry for a day. Once dry, pack the tubers in a loose, fluffy material such as peat moss or vermiculite and store in a cool, dry place. Tubers may be divided before you put them in storage or in the spring, as you are getting them ready to plant.

Dahlias are one of the most spectacular of the garden flowers and there’s always something to learn about them. On Saturday, August 25 and Sunday, August 26 The Flower Bin will host The Colorado Dahlia Society 2018 show. The theme of this year’s show is Let’s go to the Movies. This is a great opportunity for you to enrich your dahlia knowledge. For more details, visit the Colorado Dahlia Society website: http://www.coloradodahlias.net/events/category/upcoming_cds_events/ 

Treating Iron Chlorosis in Trees

At a time in the season when you expect your landscape to be at its greenest, many area trees are yellow and already starting to drop leaves. 

This yellowing of normally green leaves is due to a lack of chlorophyll, a condition known as chlorosis. Chlorophyll is responsible for the green color of leaves and is essential for the tree to produce the food it needs to sustain growth and maintain health.

Chlorotic leaves are by contrast pale green, yellow or yellow white.

As the chlorosis advances, clusters of leaves will take on a scorched look. Chlorosis may show up on one or two branches or the whole tree may be affected. Many factors, individually or in combination contribute to chlorosis. These involve nutrient deficiencies that are directly related to the soil your trees are planted in, including over watering and poor drainage, the use of plastic sheeting as a mulch, heavy, compacted clay soil and high (alkaline) soil pH. Remedies for chlorosis include applying iron supplements in a form the tree can use, as well as improving soil structure and reducing soil pH. 

Iron supplements are available in liquid and granular forms. Chelated iron is not affected by soil pH levels and is more readily available to your trees. The best iron supplement choice is a complex of iron and the chelating agent EDDEHA. These supplements can be applied directly to the soil under the tree; through a series of holes drilled around the drip line; by trunk injection; by foliar application with a sprayer. The method selected depends on where the tree is planted in your landscape. To fix the problem long-term, you have to fix the soil. 

Applying organic materials such as compost, peat moss and humate will improve soil structure and reduce alkalinity. Each of these products is applied to the area under the tree's dripline, three to four times per year. This is easily done if your tree is planted in your lawn.

Put the HuMic down first and water it in. Follow this with a thin (1/8" to ¼") layer of Sheep and Peat or Peat Moss and water in thoroughly. If your tree is surrounded by mulch, you can pull the mulch back past the drip line and follow the same process as above: HuMic, then Sheep and Peat or Peat Moss and water in.  An alternative approach is to drill a series of holes twelve to eighteen inches apart, eight to ten inches deep around the drip line and fill each hole with HuMic and Sheep and Peat and then water in. Repeated applications will improve the soil structure, increase microbial activity and encourage the tree to take up more iron on its own.

Your tree cannot overcome chlorosis on its own. In fact, it will get worse each season until you have to remove it. Understanding and resolving iron chlorosis is complex. We encourage you to stop by the store with a sample of your tree. We’ll verify the problem and help you select the right products to help restore your tree’s health.  

Now’s the time to revive your lawn

There is no doubt summer can be tough on your lawn. Your once green grass is dying off and no matter how much you water, the brown patches just seem to grow. 

Based on the turf samples we see daily at our Diagnostic Center, this is a common problem for many lawns in the area. While sustained high temperatures and low humidity do contribute to summer lawn problems, most if not all turf grass issues can be traced to poor soil conditions.  Grass planted in our typical clay-based soils tends to develop shallow root systems. When the weather turns hot and dry, these short, shallow roots can’t deliver enough water and your grass begins to dry up and die. 

The lack of deep root development also contributes to most lawn diseases, including Necrotic Ring Spot and Ascochyta Blight. The solution is to build healthy soil for your grass to grow in. This can be accomplished with regular applications of organic materials, aerating the lawn in spring and again in the fall and using granular Revive three times a year.

Compost, peat moss, earth worm castings, Earth Essentials Sheep, Peat and Compost are products that can be applied as a top dressing for your lawn. 

Top dressing involves using a shovel or similar tool to spread a thin layer of organic material over the lawn. This should be done three to four times a year. The organic material will work its way down into the soil, breaking up the clay and encouraging deeper root development. 

Humate is another organic product you should include in your lawn maintenance schedule. Humate is a highly concentrated soil conditioner derived from the remains of decomposed organic plant materials.  Feeding your lawn humate will make your soil healthier, increase microbial activity and enhance nutrient uptake. Natural Guard HuMic is an easy way to add humate to your lawn.

The third step to building a healthy lawn is to apply granular Revive three times a year. Revive acts as a wetting agent to improve water penetration and utilization. The water you put on your lawn moves down to the roots more effectively and there’s less loss due to evaporation. Both Revive and HuMic are chelators. Chelators increase nutrient availability to plants. This means more of the fertilizer you put on your lawn goes to feed the grass and there’s less waste. Just like any other plant in your garden or landscape, your grass is only as good as the soil it is growing in. Regular applications of organic material combined with sound mowing and watering practices will help ensure a healthy lawn all season long.