Monthly Gardening Calendar
Sharon Morrisey, Consumer Horticulture Agent
Milwaukee County UW-Extension

October, 2006

Fall is for planting of trees, shrubs, herbaceous perennials and bulbs.  The cool air and warm soil encourage good rooting which helps young plants get settled in for the winter.

This is an important time of year for lawn care.  If you haven’t fertilized yet this fall, and you want to control broadleaf weeds, use a combination weed and feed product now.  Apply it to wet grass when no rain is forecasted for 24 hours.  If using fertilizer without the weedkiller, apply it to dry grass just before a rain or water it in.

Evergreens need a weekly soaking of one inch of water until the ground freezes.  This is due to the fact that evergreen leaves use and lose water all winter without being able to replace it from the frozen ground.  If more is used than what’s available, browning will occur. So, if we are not getting sufficient rain, make a point to water. 

In the flower garden, cutback and remove what looks the rattiest.  Leave six inches of the stems to catch and hold the snow to serve as a winter mulch.  Those that weren’t ravaged by the summer heat, drought and diseases can be left standing.  They provide a subtle winter beauty along with shelter and food for wildlife.

Numbers in parenthesis after a garden calendar entry are topic numbers for the UW-Extension’s InfoSource.  You can read or download and print over 200 topics from the web at infosource.uwex.edu.

First Week

Broadleaf weeds in lawns are best controlled now since they will move the weed killers into their roots along with nutrients for winter storage.  Spot treat unless weeds are widespread.

Non‑selective, total vegetation killers can be applied on persistent perennial broadleaf weeds such as dandelions, plantain and creeping Charlie.  The same is true for perennial grassy weeds like quackgrass.  Some may require another treatment while actively growing again next spring.

Weed and feed combination weed killers and fertilizers are best applied when night temperatures are consistently in the 30's.

Dethatching or core aerating your lawn should be done now while the grass is growing vigorously so that it has time to recover.  Dethatching can help invigorate lawn that show ½ inch of thatch or more.  Lawns with thick thatch layers on compacted soils will need core aerating.  Cores should be 2 ‑ 2 ½ inches deep and spaced every 4 ‑ 6" inches to provide maximum benefit.  Vertical impact coring machines may be needed to penetrate.  Remove debris produced by dethatching but DO NOT REMOVE the plugs deposited on the surface by core aerating. (818)

Amaryllis should be allowed to thoroughly dry down and then rest for three months in a cool location.

Poinsettias need complete darkness from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 a.m. every night for their colorful bracts to develop.  Daytime conditions should be bright, warm, and kept moist.

Thanksgiving and Xmas cacti will set flower buds now if allowed to dry out between waterings and with cooler temperatures for about one month.

Cyclamen also need cooler evenings.  Gradually increase water to stimulate buds.

Collect and dry colorful fall flowering weeds, grasses, seedpods and other plant remnants.  Check into microwave drying because it allows some of the more tender flowers to be dried intact without losing their color.

Second Week

If you haven't already done so, buy and plant those spring flowering bulbs.  Technically, bulbs can be planted all the way up until the soil is frozen but getting an early start will allow good root development yet this fall.

Hyacinths and crocus purchased now and held at 38 ‑ 45 degrees for 6 ‑ 8 weeks can be forced into bloom in time for the December holiday season.  Tulips, daffodils, and larger bulbs will require 12 weeks of cooling before bringing out into warmer temperatures to sprout and grow.

Watch evening weather forecasts for predictions of frost.  Be especially cautious with plants in low‑lying or exposed areas on cloudless nights with expected temperatures in the mid‑thirties.  Cover plants after sundown but be sure to remove the covering when temperatures begin to rise again in the morning.

Warm season vegetables like tomato, pepper, eggplant, beans, and all of the vine crops will be injured by even a light frost so be prepared to provide them protection.

Squashes, pumpkins, gourds, tomatoes, peppers and eggplants that have been touched by frost, will not store well so use them right away.

Frost will actually improve the flavor of the cabbage family vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, kale, cabbage, collards, turnips, parsnips and Chinese cabbage.  Don't pull these and pile them on the compost heap until winter leaves you no choice.

Cut and dry or freeze remaining herbs.  Place a few sprigs in white vinegar for holiday giving.  After cleaning dried leaves off stems, save the twigs for burning in a fireplace or to add to the charcoal grill when cooking meat.  Chop cilantro and place in ice cube trays with water.  Cubes can be added to taco meat and salsa and cheese dishes all winter long.  Mix fresh diced basil with olive oil for longer refridgerator storage or to freeze.

Dig and pot up a few chive and parsley plants for growing on a sunny window indoors.

Dig frost sensitive, shade‑loving annuals like impatiens, begonias, and fuschias to bring indoors for winter blooms.  You may also want to take cuttings to root and transplant later into containers.  By January you could have flowering plants to brighten your home again.

Annual flowers that can really take the cold include pansies, lobelia, snapdragons, petunias, and allysum.

Geraniums can be saved for next year by taking 2 ‑ 4" cuttings to root and grow indoors.  Or dig and pot the entire plant.  Once rooted cut them back to form bushier growth. Some people dig their geraniums, clean all soil off the roots, and hang them upside down in the basement.  Most modern basements are too hot and dry for this to be successful unless soaked monthly in a basin of water or misted regularly.

Third Week

The third week of October is also the prime time to fertilize established trees and shrubs.  Fertilization is probably only necessary for prized specimens and plants known to be under stress of some type.

 Unless you will be providing supplemental lighting to your houseplants, fertilize now for the last time until next March.

 Remove, chop, and compost asparagus tops after they have yellowed and died for the season.  Wait until the ground has frozen to mulch.

Fourth Week

Apply fertilizer to the lawn now to prepare it for winter and next spring as well.  Apply 1 ‑ 1 ½  pounds of actual nitrogen per 1,000 sq. ft.   Select a fertilizer with a large proportion of slow release nitrogen like Milorganite.  "Winterizers" have some quick release and some slow release nitrogen.  They also have more potassium which can afford better cold hardiness in lawns where soil potassium is inadequate. Follow recommendations from your soil test for phosphorous and potassium since soils in southeastern Wisconsin generally already have high levels of these.

Many root crops in the vegetable garden can be left in the ground and mulched to insulate them from freezing temperatures this winter.  Do not apply winter mulches until the ground has cooled thoroughly ‑ usually around Thanksgiving.

Cannas, dahlias, gladiolus, tuberous begonias, and caladiums should be dug after the foliage has died down.  Always discard any damaged tubers.  Label colors and varieties carefully.  All have very specific requirements for curing and storage.

After chrysanthemum flowers have turned brown from hard frost, mound up soil 8" over the bottom of the plant.  Cut stems back leaving 2" exposed over the soil mound.  After the ground has frozen, add an additional 2" of mulch.

Mark or make a note of crabgrass infested lawn areas after they have been killed by the first hard frost.  Crabgrass preventer can then be selectively applied to these spots at the end of next April.

Delay all pruning of woody plants until the end of the dormant season in March or early April.  Wounds heal slowly and can be damaged during winter.