Garden Tips - Fall 2009

Fall Gardening

November 2009
By Sally Pfeifer, MG
Fall is the time to prepare for the next season: trimming back trees and shrubs...adding to your compost pile...taking seeds from annuals like morning glories that have gone to seed and have dried, saving them for spring… cleaning off the porch and putting outdoor furniture away...hosing off the fence with a mild combination of bleach and soap to get rid of that mold and mildew...putting mulch on the garden beds to protect bulbs and perennials...decorating your property with the winter theme of a wreath on the door. There may be a few days where it’s warm enough to plant some perennials (that you bought at the last plant sale).

Forcing bulbs can be fun and keep you working with the plant world. I had been sick and many friends had been helpful to me. As a way of thanking them, I forced some Amaryllis bulbs in pots for presents. Amaryllis (from South Africa), also known as Hippeastrum (from South and Central America), can take 8-12 weeks to bloom once potted. Double and miniature varieties may pop out of dormancy a bit sooner than singles. Arriving in late October, you may pot them up through March.

It’s nice to have something blooming in winter time. There are some Amaryllis that will bloom for Christmas. If that's what you want, make sure to get the Christmas-flowering Amaryllis collection from South Africa.

Prior to potting, store Amaryllis bulbs at a consistent, dry 50 degrees with good ventilation. Plant each bulb in a well-draining, "cozy" pot (about one inch larger in circumference than the bulb) with 25% of the bulb or the bulb "shoulder" above the soil level to prevent any water from collecting around the sprout. Use a well-draining, neutral pH, sterile soil medium. Tamp down the soil firmly.

Water with tepid water and apply bottom heat (on a radiator, heating pad, etc.) to help the bulb pop out of dormancy in indirect sunlight. Water sparingly until the stem and flower bud appear first, followed by sword-foliage.

To hold them over for subsequent year blooms, dead-head the spent flowers, fertilize with a houseplant fertilizer and water through mid-July. Store indoors in a dark spot with the pot on its side to prevent it from being watered accidentally. Do not water again until late October. Then you can bring the pot out, cut off the dead foliage, refresh the soil and water the plant to start its growing cycle all over again.
Thanksgiving will soon be here, with cooking, decorating and learning new things about the plant world. Have a great Thanksgiving!
Garden Tips - Winter 2008
Garden Tips - Spring 2009
Gardent Tips - Summer 2009
Gardem Tips - Winter 2009
Garden Tips
Resource: Click here to go to Deer Resistant Plants
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	Fall Gardening November 2009 By Sally Pfeifer, MG Fall is the time to prepare for the next season: trimming back trees and shrubs...adding to your compost pile...taking seeds from annuals like morning glories that have gone to seed and have dried, saving them for spring… cleaning off the porch and putting outdoor furniture away...hosing off the fence with a mild combination of bleach and soap to get rid of that mold and mildew...putting mulch on the garden beds to protect bulbs and perennials...decorating your property with the winter theme of a wreath on the door. There may be a few days where it’s warm enough to plant some perennials (that you bought at the last plant sale). Forcing bulbs can be fun and keep you working with the plant world. I had been sick and many friends had been helpful to me. As a way of thanking them, I forced some Amaryllis bulbs in pots for presents. Amaryllis (from South Africa), also known as Hippeastrum (from South and Central America), can take 8-12 weeks to bloom once potted. Double and miniature varieties may pop out of dormancy a bit sooner than singles. Arriving in late October, you may pot them up through March. It’s nice to have something blooming in winter time. There are some Amaryllis that will bloom for Christmas. If that's what you want, make sure to get the Christmas-flowering Amaryllis collection from South Africa. Prior to potting, store Amaryllis bulbs at a consistent, dry 50 degrees with good ventilation. Plant each bulb in a well-draining, "cozy" pot (about one inch larger in circumference than the bulb) with 25% of the bulb or the bulb "shoulder" above the soil level to prevent any water from collecting around the sprout. Use a well-draining, neutral pH, sterile soil medium. Tamp down the soil firmly. Water with tepid water and apply bottom heat (on a radiator, heating pad, etc.) to help the bulb pop out of dormancy in indirect sunlight. Water sparingly until the stem and flower bud appear first, followed by sword-foliage. To hold them over for subsequent year blooms, dead-head the spent flowers, fertilize with a houseplant fertilizer and water through mid-July. Store indoors in a dark spot with the pot on its side to prevent it from being watered accidentally. Do not water again until late October. Then you can bring the pot out, cut off the dead foliage, refresh the soil and water the plant to start its growing cycle all over again. Thanksgiving will soon be here, with cooking, decorating and learning new things about the plant world. Have a great Thanksgiving! Garden Tips - Winter 2008 Garden Tips - Spring 2009 Gardent Tips - Summer 2009 Gardem Tips - Winter 2009 Garden Tips Resource: Click here to go to Deer Resistant Plants Top of Page
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