Getting your trees ready for winter

Along with your other fall garden chores, it's important to get the trees in your landscape ready for winter. Winterizing trees includes light pruning, adding some organic materials to the soil, watering and in the case of young trees, wrapping the trunk. Pruning this time of year should be confined to small branches and suckers.

Tree suckers are branches that can emerge from the base of the tree or low on the trunk. Trees that are under stress will tend to send up more suckers. Prune these branches off now. Small dead branches in the trees canopy can be removed now.

Using a sharp bypass pruner, cut these small branches near the main trunk. Other than small branches and suckers, any major pruning is best done in winter when the tree is dormant. This is a good time of the year to add organic material to the area under the tree. Peat moss, compost and humate applied now will work into the ground through the winter, improving the soil your tree roots are growing in. This will promote stronger root systems which in turn will make your tree healthier over all. Compost and peat moss can be applied in thin layers to the area under the tree.

Humates are also a good source of organic material. HuMic is a granular product that will break down clay, improve soil structure and increase microbial activity in the soil. Adding HuMic helps your tree take up nutrients more effectively.

When you're finished adding humate and organic material, water the tree thoroughly. A good rule of thumb to remember is your tree needs about 10 gallons of water per inch of trunk diameter. If your sprinkler system is shut off, you can water by hand or use a simple lawn sprinkler. The key is to water at a slow enough rate that the water soaks in and doesn't run off.

Finally, young deciduous trees need to have their trunks wrapped. This is to prevent damage from the winter sun.  It’s not unusual for winter temperatures to reach 60° Fahrenheit in the daytime. When it gets this warm during the day, the low winter sun heats up the tree bark, especially on the south and southwest sides of the tree. The sun’s warming action breaks the tree's dormancy and the cells on that side of the tree wakeup and become active.  When the temperatures fall after sunset, the active cells and tissue die.

The damaged area will often shrink and discolor. Later in the season, the bark may fall off, leaving a long scar. Applying tree wrap now is a quick and simple way to protect the tree from the winter sun.

Tree wrap is a corrugated paper product, sold in 50' and 150' rolls.

Start at the base of the tree and spiral the wrap upward to the first primary branch.

Overlap each turn about 1/3rd. Once you reach the first set of branches, loop the tree wrap over a strong, sturdy branch and tape it, so it will stay in place. Apply tree wrap so the printed side is out. A good rule of thumb is to wrap your trees around Halloween and remove the wrap around Easter.  You should wrap trees for the first six or seven years after you plant them. Adding organic material, wrapping and watering your trees will help them survive the winter and emerge healthier in the spring. 

Time to cleanup the vegetable garden

October's sunny days and crisp night remind us that it's time to clean up the vegetable gardens.

Last week's hard frost finished off what was left of the tomatoes and other warm season crops, leaving behind blackened foliage and a few half ripe fruits, prompting us to take advantage of the nice weather to prepare our gardens for winter. Garden cleanup is best done now rather than in the spring. There are two main reasons for this. First, when you cut down and remove spent plants and vines, you're eliminating potential hiding places for insects and disease. Leaving tomato plants, cucumber vines and other vegetable plant debris in your garden after you've finished harvesting, will provide hiding places for pests and plant diseases, giving them a head start on your garden next spring. 

Powdery mildew is a classic example of plant diseases that can survive our winters. You'll want to remove and destroy any vegetable plants that show signs of powdery mildew. Don't add these plants to your compost pile. The temperatures won't get hot enough to destroy the fungus.  Vegetable garden debris can also attract insects. Western flower thrip is an insect that will winter over in your garden, then emerge in the spring to infest your tomatoes and other vegetables.  

If your tomatoes looked like this, it means there were thrips on the plant. Best to clean up the garden now and reduce the chances of thrips or other insects surviving the winter in your garden.

The second reason for fall cleanup is to facilitate adding organic material to your garden bed while the soil is warm and workable. Healthy soil is key to your garden and a clean garden bed is the ideal time to amend your soil. Plan to add 2" to 3" of organic materials.

This can be in the form of packaged organic compost, peat moss and coconut coir that you can easily transport to the garden.

Adding organic material will improve soil structure and increase microbial activity, which leads to stronger root development and improved nutrient uptake.

Strong root systems, healthy, microbial-rich soil are sure to improve the yields in your garden.  Make fall garden clean up a part of your routine. It will set up your vegetable garden for a great start next spring.   

Now's the time to feed your lawn

This time of year, your lawn is beginning to go dormant. This means the grass isn't growing as vigorously, there's less top growth and typically, you're mowing less frequently. While top growth has slowed down, grass roots are still very active storing nutrients, getting ready for the winter ahead.  All this activity at the root level makes this the ideal time to feed your lawn. Applying lawn fertilizer in October benefits your turf by strengthening the root system and getting the grass ready for winter. 

The most important nutrient for fall lawns is Nitrogen, the first number listed on the bag. Fertilome Winterizer contains 25% Nitrogen, plus Potassium to help your lawn absorb and store the fertilizer you apply now.  The biggest benefit of feeding your lawn now comes next spring when the lawn emerges from its dormant state and has enough nutrients stored in the roots to feed the grass. Your lawn will green-up and have stronger top growth early in the spring season, when you fertilize now.  After applying winterizer fertilizer, water your lawn thoroughly.

This is also a good time to add organic material to your lawn. Compost and peat moss can be applied in thin layers to improve the soil your turf is growing in. This is called "top dressing" your lawn.

Humates are also a good source of organic material. HuMic is a granular product that will break down clay, improve soil structure and increase microbial activity in the soil. Adding HuMic helps your grass take up nutrients more effectively and stay greener with less water. 

Core aeration is as valuable in the fall, as it is in the spring. Aerating the lawn this time of year helps overcome compaction and makes it easier for water, fertilizer and organic material to get down to the roots. You can do aeration yourself or hire it done. Just make sure you get a good core extraction.

Over the next few weeks, gradually lower your mower's height so that the last cutting on the lawn will be about an 1" to 1.5" tall.

During the winter, use a simple sprinkler to water your lawn. This will also benefit the trees and shrubs planted in or near your lawn.

Winter watering is especially important where the lawn and trees are surrounded by sidewalks and streets. Do this when the temperature is above 40°F.

Taking these steps now will help ensure a healthier, greener lawn next spring.  

Now's the time to plant garlic

Garlic is a member of the allium family, which includes leeks, shallots and onions. There are many different varieties of garlic, all of which fall into three general categories: Softneck, Hardneck and Elephant garlic.

Softneck garlic is the kind you will generally find in the grocery store. The two common types of softneck garlic are artichoke and silverskin. Artichoke garlic generally stores well and has a mild flavor, such as Inchelium Red and Early Italian Purple. Silverskin includes Italian Late (very aromatic with robust flavor) and Nootka Rose (very strong flavor). Softneck garlics have a flexible stalk which can be braided.

Hardneck garlics also have a stalk –called a scape- which coils at the top. Hardneck garlic  will produce a flower consisting of a number of small edible bubils or tiny bulbs. Hardnecks dry to a hard stem, hence the name.  As a group, they have a deeper, richer flavor than softnecks do, but they don’t store as well as softnecks. Select German Red or Spanish Roja for long lasting, strong flavor. Elephant garlic is the largest garlic. It is easy to peel, has a long shelf life and a mild, sweet flavor.

Garlic is best planted in October. Start with a good, quality bulb.

Break the bulb, called “cracking” into individual cloves. Each clove will produce its own plant, containing 6-8 cloves per bulb.

Garlic likes sun and well-drained soils, so incorporate a good soil amendment such as Sheep, Peat and Compost into your planting. This organic soil is produced locally.

Add some Bone Meal to the planting site, to encourage rooting. Garlic is a very friendly plant and grows well planted with other flowers and vegetables in the garden as well as in the perennial bed. Plant each clove about 2” deep, pointy end up and spaced about 6” apart. Like other spring flowering bulbs, garlic planted now will set roots and start to grow. As the soil temperature cools down, growth stops and the bulb remains dormant until it's warm enough in the spring. Garlic can be mulched in early winter, after the ground freezes. Adding mulch will hold in moisture and keep the ground stable. Garlic planted in October is usually ready for harvest the next July or August. 

When the leaves are one-third to one-half brown, it's time to dig your garlic, using a garden fork to lift each bulb.  Growing garlic in your own garden is easy and it gives you the opportunity to try varieties you might not find in the store.