As autumn’s cooler temperatures usher in a slow-down in plant growth, it’s an ideal time to undertake a plethora of projects in the landscape.
Efforts this season are a lesson in faith and patience, as the results won’t be revealed until next spring. But when bulbs begin bursting through the snow, your lawn effortlessly greens up, and divided perennials fill your garden beds with bountiful blooms, you’ll be rewarded in spades.
“Most of us are gardened out by the fall,” recognizes Connie Schmotzer, York County horticulture educator with Penn State cooperative extension (717-840-7408). But however fatigued you are, your efforts now are rich in payback.
“By the fall, you may be tired of yard work and done with weeding, but it is the best time to plant from the end of August right up to Thanksgiving,” says Matt Gingerich, co-owner of Erb Brothers Landscaping in Lititz (717-626-7704; www.erbbrothers.com). He emphatically reiterates: “Fall is the best time to plant trees, lawns, shrubs and bulbs,” adding that this phrase should be emphasized in capital letters so homeowners realize this is truly the prime season for planting.
Planting now makes for less stress on plants, which have time to get established, then can rest in dormancy before tackling the insect, disease and drought challenges they’ll encounter come summer.
Green your Greens
Nothing pays off more than revamping your lawn in the fall. Attention now yields a better season next year, allowing your turf to start off strong and healthy to better withstand whatever the weather dishes out.
For those who keep compost piles, Schmotzer recommends aerating and then applying a quarter inch of compost to revitalize and feed your lawn.
Homeowners can rent an aerating machine, which pulls plugs of soil out and deposits them on the surface, helping to reduce compaction. For those reluctant to handle the machine, professional landscapers can also do this job, which will require several passes over your turf to properly open up the soil, according to Gingerich.
Fall is the best time to plant trees, lawns, shrubs and bulbs.
“The fall is the best time to core aerate your lawn, which also allows lime and fertilizers to get down into the soil instead of sitting on the surface and washing away,” says Evan Sucharski, senior landscape designer with Home Grown Outdoor Finishes in Elizabethtown (367-7284; www.homegrownoutdoorfinishes.com).
Sucharski advises using a fertilizer rich in potash and potassium rather than nitrogen, in order to encourage root growth rather than stimulating the stems.
Once the lawn has been aerated and fed, it’s also a good time to over-seed to promote a thicker stand. Just be sure that whatever fertilizer you used doesn’t also contain an herbicide, which will kill not only weed seeds, but also the grass seeds you’re trying to establish. Before fertilizing and liming, it’s a good idea to get a soil test, to ensure you’re spending money on what your lawn actually needs.
This renovation process does sacrifice the look of your lawn for a few weeks while the soil plugs break down into the turf, but the effects will be worth it.
“I tell clients we have to make it look ugly so it can look pretty,” says Gingerich. He also advocates accomplishing this work by mid-September for solidifying a strong stand of new growth before winter dormancy.
“That way you have two seasons to get established before summer,” he adds.
Plant your foundation
Gingerich says fall is also ideal for planting new trees and shrubs, for the same reason.
Schmotzer agrees: “It’s a less stressful time to put in woody plants because they have the advantage of winter to establish their root system.”
These anchors in the landscape benefit from less disease, insect, and heat stress when planted in the autumn. Gingerich recommends a few good waterings and using a slow release fertilizer with these new plants to prevent burn and promote a gradual shift to dormancy.
Once we’ve had a frost, usually by mid to late October, they should be fine through the winter. Woody plants do take a bit more time to be firmly established, so keep an eye on them for a year or two to ensure they remain adequately watered.
Sucharski recommends wrapping up fall planting by early October before frost sets in. While generally agreeing with fall planting for trees and shrubs, he recommends homeowners research the particular varieties they desire to see if a different planting time might be more appropriate. “For instance, cypress have a weak system and can be more susceptible to problems in the winter,” he says.
Divide and conquer
Perennial lovers rejoice this time of year, when their plants have grown exponentially, yielding a bounty that can fill in a landscape or be shared with friends. This is the time to divide and replant all but the autumn bloomers.
“You’ll find when you dig them up that you’ll yield an additional two or three new plants,” says Sucharski.
Those that aren’t being divided this year can remain as they are in the garden to provide winter interest, in addition to marking where the plants are so they are not trampled before they emerge again in the spring.
“I like to see people leave perennials like echinacea and sunflowers up through the winter as food for birds and shelter for beneficial insects,” says Schmotzer. “Plus they have wonderful seed heads that look beautiful in a snow.”
Clean up
No matter whether you choose to keep or cut your perennials, there are other plants that must be pulled from the garden when they are spent to avoid promulgating disease and insect problems next year.
Annuals should be pulled when they’re done blooming or are blackened by frost. Vegetable beds should be cleaned out when tender plants are done producing to prevent disease problems. And obviously any weeds should be pulled before they can set seeds.
All this nitrogen-rich “green” plant debris will be complemented by the carbon-filled autumn leaves to help create the “black gold” of compost. If you don’t have a compost pile, now is a great time to get started when all the raw materials are at hand. Check your local extension office or township office to see when composting workshops are offered in your area.
“When leaves start falling, I like to stockpile them, either shredding them and putting them back into my beds as mulch, or storing them to mix with high nitrogen ingredients like kitchen vegetable scraps or garden clippings to balance my compost pile,” says Schmotzer, who admits to swiping the rakings of her “less enlightened” neighbors. “I can never have enough leaves.”
Effortless new beds
“Fall is a great time to sheet mulch,” says Schmotzer, who creates new garden beds the easy way by spreading out sheets of cardboard and then piling grass clippings and leaves on top.
“You have to make sure no light is getting to your lawn,” she says, adding that by now most of her own yard has turned from turf to garden using this method. Come spring, you’ll have a ready-made bed to add new plants, without the work of digging out sod.
Bulb boost
Plan for a bloom-filled spring by planting bulbs now. If you’re ambitious, spread out the task over several weekends, planting the earliest bloomers like crocuses first, saving the later-blooming tulips for last. Consider planting naturalizing crocuses throughout your lawn for a cheery color burst as the snow recedes.
For each variety of bulb, plant them at their recommended depth in well-drained soil that will receive partial to full sun. Planting in clusters, especially odd-numbered bunches, makes for more pleasing displays.
Reflect and regroup
Autumn is also a great time to take stock of your landscape and realize what succeeded and what needs work. The blooming season is still fresh in your mind, which will help you draw detailed plant maps and create wish lists.
“This is a good time to see what plants may have struggled and need to be moved, or maybe places that water pools and could instead be captured and turned into a rain garden,” says Schmotzer. “Or maybe you’re not seeing many hummingbirds or butterflies and you want to take steps to get certified as a pollinator-friendly garden.”
Taking the time now will help you be ready to make adjustments next year, to select the right items when seed catalogs arrive, or to hire professional help.
“Many landscapers will be already booked for fall planting, but late fall is the best time to walk around the property with a landscaper. Then spend the winter coming up with ideas and the plan, and then starting in the spring to create what you want,” says Sucharski.
Timely Tasks
1. Ready your vacationing houseplants for a return indoors by repotting and treating for insect and disease problems.
2. Shelter any seasonal terra cotta and ceramic planters before frost.
3. Resist the urge to prune any woody plants in the fall, which could encourage new growth and weaken the plants right before winter. Only cut dead branches that might create problems in winter storms.
4. Get your gardening tools ready for the spring rush by putting them to bed properly now. Clean, sharpen, and oil your blades and treat wooden parts with linseed oil.
5. After a freeze, dig up tender bulbs like dahlias and gladiolus and store in a cool, dark, and airy spot. (Sawdust and peat moss in wooden crates work well.)
6. Protect evergreens by spraying with an anti-desiccant or horticulture oil to keep them from drying out in winter winds.
7. Stay on top of weeds until frost, which will result in less problems next year.
8. Create a green manure in your vegetable garden by planting a cover crop like annual ryegrass or wheat to build the soil and reduce weeds.
