October rivals anything that springiness has to extend in price of beauty , color , and interest in the decorative garden . Masses of former blooming perennial , shrubs with brightly hued Berry , and the vibrant drop foliation on many trees and shrubs collectively provide a truly glorious gardening experience . Meanwhile , this month is a in particular interfering metre for gardeners . So let ’s get pop on that “ to do ” list .
PLANT , DIVIDE , AND TRANSPLANT
TACKLE GENERAL FALL GARDEN CLEAN UP TASKS
MANAGE AUTUMN INSECT PESTS
iris are susceptible to a variety of pests and disease . One of the most annoying is theiris bore bit , which is the larva of the brownish - looking nocturnal Miller Moth ( Macronoctua onusta ) . The moth repose its eggs on sometime sword lily leaf and bloom shuck in autumn . The larvae hatch in late outflow and burrow into the parting on their direction down to the rootstalk . The damage they get make the rootstalk susceptible to bacterial soft rot . Iris bore bit eggs that winter on dead foliage are the root of infestation each springtime . To give way the life-time cycle of this blighter , remove dead leaves from rhizomes in fall to prevent any ballock from surviving over the winter months .
Inspect your evergreen trees and shrub forbagworms . Bagworm eggs overwinter on evergreens such as junipers , spruce , hemlock , and arborvitae as well as many other Tree . Pick off and burn any egg character that you witness . This may be done from fall until springtime . See VCE Publication ENTO-351NP onBagwormfor additional information .
PREVENT UNINVITED WINTER HOUSE guest
Around mid - October , the adultLady Beetle(or Ladybugs as they are more commonly live ) begin moving out of the garden and into nook and cranny under tree barque , leaves , or other sheltered spots that will afford them protection from winter ’s moth-eaten weather . As they look for for wintertime housing in earnest , they often figure our home base through flyspeck cracks around windows , doors , attic outlet , or any other opening uncommitted to them .
TheBrown Marmorated Stink Bugis another dirt ball that often tries to winter in your home . Fortunately , the stink hemipterous insect population seems to have break up slightly over the past few days . However , if you see them gathering on the due south or west - face up side of your house , chances are very undecomposed that they will taste to seek entry into your family for the winter .
Insects are n’t the only animal seeking a warm stead to spend the winter . Rodentsoften count for entry points into the home . To preclude entree , seal off all potential entranceway point . Leaving the garage door up is an open invitation to a computer mouse or rat . verify there ’s no intellectual nourishment available to draw in them such as grass seed , bird ejaculate , and seed that you ’ve saved from your garden .
ACCLIMATE houseplant
If you didn’tbring your houseplant indoorsat the death of September , definitely get them indoors this month . The longer they stay outside , the harder the changeover to the indoors will be for them . Once they are indoors , keep a nigh watch on them for wanderer , wanderer jot , snowy fly , graduated table , mealy bug , and other unwanted hitchhikers . These pests may not show up for day or even weeks after you ’ve moved the plant indoors .
Houseplants may go through a period of adjustment to lower wakeful spirit level . If they are getting sufficient water but dropping farewell , they may not be getting enough visible radiation . If that ’s the cause , try relocating them to a brighter localisation .
ENJOY THE AUTUMN LANDSCAPE AND PONDER WHY LEAVES CHANGE COLOR
As you work on your October gardening tasks , take time out to enjoy the vista . As the day have shorten and temperature cooled , the intense colors of autumn have transformed the landscape painting . The transformation starts in the cooler , high elevations and step by step spreads to the quick , lower - lying valleys . Meanwhile , the nervure that transport fluid into and out of leaves bit by bit close off at the base of each leaf . The clogged veins bunker carbohydrate in the leafage , which promotes the output of anthocyanins .
Three types of pigments are involved in autumn colour :
Many of us are puzzled by the fact that declination coloring are vivacious some years and subdued in other years . The intensity of color is influenced by temperature , sunshine , and land wet levels before and during the clock time chlorophyll is dwindling in the parting . The most brainy autumn colors are generally create in age with a warm wet bound , friendly summer weather with adequate rainfall , and warm cheery tumble day with crisp , nerveless nights . See the US Department of Agriculture Forest Service site for more information on theScience of Fall Colors .
INVASIVE ALERT
Japanese Honeysuckle ( Lonicera japonica)is a chop-chop spreading foreign-born vine that contend for both above- and below - undercoat resources , suppress the growth of desirable tree , shrubs , grasses , and wildflower . A woody perennial vine , Japanese honeysuckle retains its leaves well into winter ( year - unit of ammunition in balmy climate ) . helping hand pull unseasoned vines is effective only if all roots are removed . Any roots leave in the soil will resprout . A foliar spray may be a more effective direction to pour down the entire plant . Thebest time to spray is autumn and other winterafter most native plant have lose their leaf or are dormant , but before a tough freeze ( 25 ° farad ) . Foliar spray are less effective in fountain because the weed killer does not soundly move from the leaves into the radical during spring ontogenesis .
For additional info on method acting for eradicate Japanese Honeysuckle , refer to theFact Sheet / Japanese Honeysucklepublished by the Blue Ridge Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management ( PRISM ) . Also see theInvasive Plant Control Calendarin the May 2022 issue ofThe Garden Shed .
PESTICIDE monition
Pesticides ( which admit herbicides , insecticides , rodenticides , etc . ) are toxicant . Always read and cautiously keep an eye on all precautions and safe testimonial given on the container label . hive away all chemical substance in the original pronounce containers in a locked cabinet or shed , off from intellectual nourishment or feeds , and out of the compass of children , unauthorized person , pets , and stock . Consult thepesticide labelto determine active ingredients , signaling words , and right protective equipment . Pesticides apply in your home and landscape can move andcontaminate creeks , lakes , and rivers . Confine chemical to the dimension being treated and never let them to get into waste pipe or creeks . Avoid drift onto neighboring properties and untargeted areas .
reference :
Featured Photoof Aromatic Asters ( Symphyotrichum oblongifolium ): Fern Campbell
Monthly Gardening Tips / October / Piedmont Master Gardeners / Gardening resourcefulness
