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Writer's pictureKristi Duffy

Fall in the Garden: A Guide to Your Fall Garden Maintenance


As we start to see the end of temperatures in the triple digits in the Central Valley, here are a few tips on maintenance for your garden and landscape, as well as some ideas for preparing your plants for the winter. We are lucky enough in this area to have a nice long season and a mild winter which means we don’t need to do excessive prepping for cold weather, but there are a few things that we should do to clean up our plants after the summer heat. In no particular order here are some good fall-time garden tasks you can think about for your yard.


General Clean Up

One of the main things we can do for our tired plants is give them a bit of pruning to encourage that last bit of fall time growth and remove any plant parts that have been damaged by the summer heat and sun. This is not the season to do a hard pruning though, that is best left for the springtime. The main goal is to clean things up a bit and remove any damaged plant material that may make your plant susceptible to pests and disease. Deadhead all your flowers and prune off any scorched tips for healthy growth. If you have any roses they especially benefit from some pruning this time of year to encourage a few more flowers before dormancy (depending on the type of rose). If you have any plants that had severe damage from the summer, consider replacing them or moving them to a location that will get a bit more protection next season. Don’t be afraid to dig up and move plants if necessary. If you do, make sure you dig wide enough around the plant to get as many roots as possible to reduce the stress on the plant. If the plant must remain where it is, cut back the damaged portion to the healthy part of the plant. If it is more than a quarter of the total plant mass, consider leaving it until spring.

You also want to clean up any excess debris and dead leaves that could harbor unwanted plant pests over the winter. A winter mulch is a good idea but make sure it is free from any plant material that may have been infested or diseased. If there are parts of existing mulch that are damaged (moldy, full of bugs, etc.) remove it and replace with some clean mulch.


Give a Little Love

Since our growing season is so long in the Central Valley your plants would appreciate one last round of fertilizer this time of year. This should be your last application for the year so don’t hesitate to give your plants a little snack to prepare themselves for the winter.


Planting

The best time to get new plants in the ground is spring and fall! So take advantage of any nursery sales that you can and do any planting that your landscape may need. Fall is an especially good time for herbaceous perennials specifically. If you aren’t familiar with the terminology, an herbaceous perennial is any plant that comes back year after year from the same root system but all above-ground plant parts die off during the cold weather. An example is echinacea and rudbeckia. It is important to note that with our mild winters, some herbaceous perennials will not die back completely during the winter and will need some attention in spring to clean them up a bit.

Now is a great time to move any plants that may need a location change as mentioned previously.

Fall is also a great time to sprinkle wildflower seeds. Wildflowers need the cold weather during the winter to overcome dormancy as well as the early spring moisture to germinate. If you would like to add some wildflowers to your yard, sprinkle the seeds now and gently rake the soil to slightly cover them.


Prepping your Lawn

If you have a lawn that goes dormant in the winter now is the time to prep and overseed for a green lawn in the winter. Prep the lawn by cutting the grass very short. The next step is getting all that organic matter buildup from the summer mowings out. Dethatch your grass by using a dethatcher or a rake (it takes a lot of work with the rake so be warned, trust me I know from experience). Once the lawn is closely cut and dethatched you can sow a winter annual seed. Make sure for the first week or so after sowing you water frequently but for a very short duration. The germinating seed needs to be kept moist. If you need any more guidance on preparing your lawn for winter send me a message, I am more than happy to help.


Watering Tips

As the nights get colder and the days are still warm we need to be more careful with watering. Variable weather like this can cause disease as well as the plants to be over or under-watered. Keep in mind the days are still warm but the nights are much cooler. More drought-tolerant plants will need a cut back in water but keep a close eye on them and do it slowly to not cause shock from sudden moisture change. Do not do any evening watering. Watering in the evening does not allow for plant foliage to dry out quickly enough as temperatures drop. The moisture sitting on leaves is a perfect environment for powdery mildew and other plant diseases to flourish, don’t give them that opportunity. Early morning is always the best time for watering.


Save Seed

If you would like to try your hand at saving your own seed for next year, this is the time to collect for most summer annuals. I don’t really recommend trying everything all at once and some species of plants are definitely easier than others to save seed from. Plants like annual herbs, marigolds, zinnias, and cosmos are very easy to save and germinate next year. To do this clip off some ripe flower heads and pop them in a paper bag out of direct light and away from any moisture. Let them sit there for a few weeks before crumpling up the flowers to remove the seed. You don’t need to have them very clean if this is just for yourself. Store them in clean containers away from light and moisture.



Plant your Fall Veggies

The season of the brassicas has arrived again! Get all your broccoli, kale, lettuce, kohlrabi, brussels sprouts and carrots in the ground. There are so many good things to plant in the fall for the late-season garden, but the best way I remember what works is Roots and Shoots. Root veggies love the cooler weather and can last for a long time in the ground. Some even get sweeter after the first frost or two. Shoots are great for this season but be careful where you put them while it’s still pretty warm as they can be encouraged to flower and become bitter before you’ve enjoyed their bounty.


Weed Suppression

A new batch of weeds will begin to make their appearance soon so it’s a good time to start preparing for them. Winter annual weeds like chickweed will begin to pop up so if you are comfortable using chemicals for weed suppression think about applying a pre-emergent. If you are not into using herbicides, mulch is a helpful ally. A nice thick layer will keep the weeds down. If you already have mulch in place you may need to add more on the top or sift it to remove any weed seeds that may have landed on top through the year.


Last Thoughts

These are a few of the things you can be working on as your garden and landscape start winding down to rest after a long summer. But don’t look at this as a to do list. Enjoy the process! Our yards are there for our enjoyment and if you don’t have time, it’ll keep till spring.

If you want more information on any of these topics or something else, send me a message! I’m more than happy to help.


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