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   Okay, so now you're saying, "Wait a minute.  The Yardboy said last week that we wouldn't be receiving a newsletter this week.  Is the boy crazy?"

   Well, that could be debated, but here's the deal.  We put together a general 'Fall Gardening Checklist' to help you keep pace with some of the major season ending gardening chores that need to be done.  So, while I'm away this week, you'll have this checklist to follow.  Pretty cool, eh?  Ah, the miracles of today's technology.

   Now, do yourself a favor.  Go out and have the best weekend of your life!  See ya.  RW, the Yardboy.

Natorp’s Fall Gardening Checklist:  -As summer ends, and the regular gardening season begins to wind down, there are timely garden chores that need to be done in your yard and garden.  At the top is providing good soil moisture for your larger trees and evergreens, landscape shrubs, perennials and lawn, as they go into the fall and winter.  If your yard receives less than 1 inch of rainfall every 10 days or so, you need to supplement.  Good moisture in the soil as well as in the plants is a very important part of how well your plants will make it through the winter and into next spring.  And that means watering until the ground freezes.  Here’s that fall checklist.  Hope it helps keep you on pace, as this season winds down.

Fall Checklist:

___Late August and early September is the best time for core aerating, seeding, and applying a starter fertilizer to your new seed, applying the first fall feeding of the lawn, and if needed, total lawn renovation.  Timing for feeding and core aerating can continue on into October if needed. 

___Plant fall colors such as mums, asters, Montauk daisies, pansies, cold hardy annuals, ornamental grasses, late - blooming perennials, ornamental cabbage and kale, etc.  Change out the summer annuals in your containers for these fall bloomers.

___Dig and divide most spring and early summer flowering perennials as needed.  Late summer is the time for iris and peonies.

___Bring tropical plants that have been outside all summer, indoors, before night temperatures reach mid 50’s.  Be sure to inspect and treat for insects and other critter before bringing them indoors.

___Apply Preen in the fall to help prevent winter annuals from germinating (chickweed, henbit, purslane).

___Continue to remove all dead foliage from perennials and clean up left over annuals and veggie plants.  Cut them off and leave the roots.  They will break down and add organic matter back to the soil.  Place disease free dead foliage in the compost pile.

___Start a compost pile; it doesn’t take much space.  Today’s yard debris can become tomorrow’s garden gold as a soil amendment.  Grass clippings, finely ground leaves, small sticks, vegetable trimmings from the kitchen, spent flowers and foliage, etc, can all be added to the compost pile.

___Clean up areas around fruiting trees and plants to get rid of fallen fruits, diseased leaves and branches, etc.

___Start (or pot from outdoors) herbs for growing indoors over the winter.

___Keep those leaves from accumulating on the lawn, especially newly seeded lawns.  In mature lawns, feel free to return some of those leaves back to the soil by mowing them into finer pieces.  Grass clippings and finely ground leaves actually creates thin layer composting right there in the turf!

___Check for cracks and crevices, torn or loose screens, anywhere that winter invading insects can get into the house, and seal those up!  For added protection, create an insect barrier around the foundation with an insecticide.

___Cover water gardens with nylon netting to keep leaves and debris out.

___Keep planting trees and shrubs.  As long as the soil is workable and the weather is good, you can plant all through the rest of the year.  Fall is thee best time for planting most trees, shrubs, evergreens, perennials, lawns, etc.

___Protect younger trees from deer damage (bucks rubbing) with trunk protectors.

___Protect deer browse susceptible plants with DeerScram / Liquid Fence.

___Transplant trees and shrubs and perennials that need to be moved in the yard.

___Expect your evergreens to shed inner needled during the fall.  It’s a normal process.

___Plant spring flowering bulbs like tulips, daffodils, crocus, hyacinths, anemones, alliums, etc.  Plant several in pots for bringing indoors early next spring.  October is the best time for planting spring bulbs.

___Fall is the best time to go after those broadleaf weeds in the landscape and lawns. Using a weed killer in the fall works better as the weeds are taking in nutrients and storing them in their roots for winter, so they take in the weed killer as well.

___Dig, clean and store summer bulbs (cannas, tuberous begonias, gladiolas, caladiums, etc.) in a cool dark place for replanting next year.  Let the light early frosts kill the tops, then dig and store away.

___Keep mowing the lawn on a regular basis (change directions each time you mow) until the lawn has stopped growing.  For the last 2-3 cuts, lower your mower one notch.  When the lawn has stopped growing for the season, mow it one last time, and then feed with a high N fertilizer.  Then, go have your mower serviced!

___Gather frost affected fruits and veggies before Jack Frost takes them out!

___Till the garden this fall.  Exposed soils freeze and thaw over the winter and helps to break up that heavy soil.  Add a layer of compost, pine soil conditioner, or finely ground leaves and grass clippings before you till.

___Feed the trees in late fall.  Vertical mulching or soil injection with a Ross Root feeder works great. 

___Feed the birds, and clean your feeders if it hasn’t been done recently.  Make sure your birds have a source of water over the winter, as well as landscaping for the birds, including evergreens, plants with seeds or berries, and thicker growing shrubs.

___Have your soil tested.  Many adjustments can be made this fall and early next spring.

___Clean, oil and properly store all garden tools when the season is over.  Also, drain and coil all hoses and store where they won’t freeze.  Properly store all chemicals to keep them from freezing.

___Empty or properly store containers and planters to prevent freezing and damages to the pots. 

___Clean out those gutters and down spouts to prevent ice clogs during the winter.

___Brighten your holidays by planting amaryllis and paperwhite bulbs.  They take 6 weeks or so to flower, so plan accordingly.  Plant them on staggered times to have colors all winter long.

___Spray evergreens (as needed) with WiltStop for greater winter protection.

___Do not cover roses for the winter until late in the year, after the plants have gone dormant and the soil is close to or frozen.  Reduce long branches as needed, but save serious pruning for next spring.

___Winter mulching should not be done until the ground is frozen, or at least down into the lower 40’s or colder.

[Natorp’s 06]

[Catch Natorp's own grown yardboy Ron Wilson during the week:  -55KRC The Talk Station 'In the Garden with Ron Wilson' every Saturday from 6-9am  - Satellite Radio / XM TalkRadio 165 every Saturday from 6-9am   -610 WTVN (Columbus) every Saturday from 10-12pm (except during Buckeye Football Season)  -Friday mornings at 8:06am on 55KRC's 'The Morning Show' with Jerry Thomas and Craig Kopp  -Thursday and Saturday mornings on Local 12 News (WKRC) Homeworx Team   -Garden expert for 'HomewoRx' with Gary Sullivan on Local 12, Sunday at 11:30am.  Be sure to listen to 55KRC The Talk Station for the best in talk radio! (Home of programming director Tony 'Big Dog' Bender, and executive producer Joe 'the original Joe Pro, who without Joe, the show just wouldn't go' Strecker.)