Garden Gate

What TO DO This Fall

TIME TO TRANSPLANT

Fall is a great time to move spring perennials, whether you’re shuffling things around in the garden or pulling perennials from pots and plunking them in the soil. Just do it in early fall so they have plenty of time to get settled before a frost hits.

After the ground has frozen, add a couple inches of mulch around the roots to insulate them from winter temperature fluctuations. Waiting until the ground has frozen discourages pests from finding a cozy winter hiding spot in the mulch.

Q & A

Q: Does cooler weather mean I can stop watering my plants?

A: Nope. Through autumn, plants still need about 1 inch of water per week (rain included). So keep checking the soil and water when it’s dry. Stop when the ground is too frozen to absorb moisture, but not before.

Q: I’ve read that I should stop fertilizing in fall to get the plant to “harden off” for winter. Is that true?

This is true for most plants. Trees, shrubs and perennials generally experience a burst of growth when they’re fed. If this happens in, say, October, that new growth might get zapped by cold weather, which can damage the entire plant. It’s best to stop fertilizing around August 1 in areas with freezing winters, and in September in warmer areas, where plants will still go dormant and be unable to use new

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