26 November 12, 2008

Other than the oak trees, the leaves are off the trees. After a summer of seeing leaves on the trees, it is funny to just see tree branches.

Mid November is a time to finish up some of your garden chores. Do you want a list of things to do? I didn’t think so, but here comes one anyway.

I was telling you about the leaves fallen off the trees. Raking up and composting those leaves is one of those November chores. Leaves left on the lawn can kill the grass. It can also lead to an increase in the acidity of the soil.
Speaking of acid soil, have you put down lime on your lawn,  flower beds and vegetable gardens? As I have said before acid soil makes it harder for your plants to grow. By putting down lime in the fall, you are giving the lime time to change the Ph. By spring, the acidity will be neutralized. Your plants will grow better and you will be making it harder for weeds to grow.

There is still time to apply a winter fertilizer to your lawn. This fertilizer helps to build up a stronger root system. Come the spring, your first application of fertilizer will get those roots to put up all new blades of grass. This will give you a ticker lawn and make it harder for weeds to grow in your lawn.

Anti desiccant sprays can still be applied on your shrubs. This spray puts a waxy coating on the leaves and twigs and helps to prevent the leaves and twigs from drying out in the winter winds. Remember that the anti desiccant spray needs to be applied at temperatures above 40 degrees and it must dry in daylight hours. The daylight is needed because the UV rays help to set the spray.

You have been using your garden tools all season. Don’t forget to clean them up before you put them away for the winter. Pruners should be sharpened and an application of oil should be applied to the blades to prevent rusting. Shovels, hoes, rakes and other long handle tools should have all of the dirt and debris removed from the steel parts. Apply a coating of oil to the metal parts to prevent rusting.

You lawn may still be growing. If it is still growing, keep up with cutting the grass. You want to keep the grass short. If you allow long blades of grass to get covered by snow, the grass will mat down and you will run into problems with fungus diseases on your lawn. As much as you hate to think of mowing the grass this time of the year, it is better for the health of the lawn if you keep those blades of grass short.

Well, that’s all for this week. I’ll talk to you again next week.