Things to Do in the Garden
The very first thing that you need to do is to make sure that your sprinkler system is working properly and that all heads are applying water where they are needed in the landscape and not on concrete surfaces. DO IT NOW! Why is it so important to do it now? Because it is still warm enough to get in between the sprinkler heads and adjust the heads for proper coverage.
Cut back on your watering schedule since it is not necessary to water as often now that the temperatures are dropping and natural rainfall is increasing. I recommend turning your controller off so that it does not automatically water on even or odd days, which by chance may be a rainy day. When you think the landscape needs water walk on over to the controller and turn it back on. After the system has finished, walk back out and turn it off.
Fall is the best time to fertilize so make plans to apply a good organic fertilizer now.
GreenSense All Purpose fertilizers are made from a blend of rich pathogen free components that will improve soil fertility and texture while promoting microbial activity.
It is not always necessary to add fertilizer to your soils. You can also use compost. Make sure that the compost you are using is of a high quality. Of course high quality and GreenSense can always be included in the same sentence. GreenSense does offer composted and dehydrated manure that is easily applied through a drop spreader and is rich in organic matter and nutrients. Through Rohde’s and Air Force base Exchanges you can purchase GreenSense cotton bur compost. Cotton bur compost is very rich and will help break down hard clay soils while feeding plant and soil microbes. Buy what your budget allows you and put out a thin layer, about a quarter of an inch, over the entire lawn. Do this while the grass is actively growing. When the compost is no longer visible repeat the process.
In areas where you have brown patch or other lawn diseases apply a product from Back To Nature called Natures Blend. This combination of composted manure, Alfalfa Meal and humate works wonders for diseased lawns as well as serving as a mild fertilizer for the soil. Another good thing about this product is that it will go through a drop spreader.
A very inexpensive way to add organic matter to the soil is to start mulching your leaves where they fall on the lawn. If you actually have a mulching mower your lawn will look tidier after you have run the leaves over. When the leaves start falling heavily you might have to gather some up and compost them, or place them in flower beds where they will slowly breakdown.
Speaking of compost, if you have not yet started to compost there is no better time than now to start figuring out where you will have a compost pile and or a compost tumbler. Not everyone has the space for both and not everyone is energetic enough to have both.
If you are a fair weather gardener then maybe just a compost pile will suffice. You can turn this pile as often as you want, but beware; the eyes of the ants are upon you and if you do not turn your pile often enough you may get attacked by the nesting ant pile.
If you want to speed up the process then have a compost pile to collect your debris and place it next to a compost tumbler. The tumblers can speed up the process tremendously. I have one customer who has three tumblers and produces ready to use compost on a weekly basis. Unfortunately for me now that she has figured out how to make her own she never buys fertilizer or compost from Rohde’s anymore. But she still keeps a landscape budget that allows her to experiment with different plants so we still see her on a regular basis.
The lawn. If you have a weed problem and you have not yet put out corn gluten meal, I would still put it out now. Apply it in conjunction with other organic materials like Humate or Dehydrated Manure just to increase its overall fertilizer value. If you mix up these products before application, the CGM will spread more easily.
No weeds no problem, instead of corn gluten meal, apply GreenSense Fertilizers to your landscape to feed the soil and make it healthy enough to ward off most gardening problems. GreenSense Lawn & Garden Microbial treatment should also be applied at this time. The cooler moist soils will allow easier mobility for these critters to enhance soil aeration and water percolation. Beneficial nematodes: I apply BN’s on my lawn and in the landscape twice a year. Normally around October 15th I will apply my second annual application to help control any hibernating soil dwelling insects. These biannual applications of BN’s have kept me from using toxic insecticides at my home for ten years now.