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SHRUBS AND TREE'S
Inspect for:
* cankers and swollen area's
* damaged and crossing branches
* dead, off-color, leaves and twigs
* guy wires that need to be loosened or removed
* identify the plants you intend to prune
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* follow your local county extension pruning guidelines
* continue routine pruning & thinning (EARLY IN MONTH)
Water stressed plants (early in month)
(about 1/2 gal/sq. ft. of drip zone, per week)
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Lawns:
Mowing: mow lawns every 14 days.
I use a well adjusted and sharp push mower, for all my jobs now. Available at many hardware stores for about $100. Throw the bag away!
For a power mower look for an mtd/yardman 4.5 horsepower non-self-propelled (light weight) "bag-n-mulch" model. Make sure the chassis does not extend behind the rear wheels or you may have a problem pulling it up rockery walls or stairs. The bag is useless and unnescessary but these models work very well to mulch grass clippings and light-to-medium leaf fall (follow manufacturers instructions). look for wheel height adjustor levers that are large and easy to use.
My niece and s/o keep their lawn quite long and i think this is an interesting idea. The cats provide the evening entertainment hunting bugs in the yard, half-hidden by the grass.
It still needs to be regularly mowed, nipping off as much as the mower can handle with each cut. I do not know all the pro's and cons, but i used to have pastures and i did regularly mow them and achieved good quality grass pasture for the cows.
lawn alternatives are more often seen now. They can reduce water useage, although i see lawns that have not been watered this year greening up with late september rains. Some lawns are not coming back. Moderate watering through the hot dry spells probably aids in recovery.
a dear customer of mine who was an economics professor tried replacing his lawn and found maintenance costs to be about the same either way.
Plantings which replace a lawn can be more interesting, and biologically diverse.
However, lawns can nicely frame a home and add useful living and recreation space.
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fertilizer: not now - fertilize late june and early november
if you are buying fertilizer now, the recommended rate 1# nitrogen per 1000 square feet of lawn.
Ideally it should be 3-1-2 NPK ratio, with micronutrients. Its unlikely you will find the perfect all-in-one fertilizer. Using micro-nutrient, iron, sulfur, or potassium supplements, may be helpful.
I try to use:
Perfect Blend 8-4-2 if available. You can call them
in Bellevue for current sales outlet locations. This
product has a slew of micronutrients added to
an organic based nitrogen.
Signature Brand 18% nitrogen (ace hardware, auburn) also has added micronutrients.
If none of the above, you can supplement your fertilizer with Milorgonite (generally available).
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Weed control: Weed and Feed is NOT recommended (ever)
* try to identify the weeds you want to control
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* Spot treatments of household vinegar can be useful,
apply a little before noon if possible. ( Frankly,
I haven't had much luck with it this year. I
do not recommend using horticultural vinegar because
it is double strength and may cause injury on contact.)
* apply using a spray bottle or hand pump
* for non-selective control of dandelions,
many other weeds, and weedlike grasses
* it does not work on buttercup or ground ivy
* DO NOT USE OVER ROOT ZONES OF TREES AND SHRUBS
* a second or third application may be helpful
* target the weed
* apply with moderation as you would on a garden salad
* palm-sized spots of grasskill will recover
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* safe products based on cinnamin, orange oil, etc -
are available, & approved by the epa and
many states.
* read the label carefully and follow the instructions
hand-dig weeds where practical - use a corona mattock with adjustable handle (it can be done!)
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Watering: lawns typically do not need watering this month.
Shut down the sprinkler system.
Drain or protect shallow or exposed pipe which might freeze.
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Aeration: aerate late sept or early october only if the soil
beneath the gras is not getting wet after a good rain
most lawns don't need aerating
To be effective, several passes (4 or 5) of the aerator is needed to remove sufficient soil surface
leave the plugs on the ground
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Lawn renovation: Excellent time to seed early in month.
Renovate problem lawns / treat moss problems
dry lawns may green up with early rains
otherwise, focus on dried up or bare patches
the idea is to give new grass as much time as possible to establish before summertime
plus you will have a nice green lawn all fall and winter with no need to mow or water!
the weather is perfect for grass germination thru october 10, maybe a few days later. i wouldn't try it after october 15.
you should keep the leaves off the lawn! light to medium leaves can be mulched over with a lawn mower, as described above. otherwise, rake or blow leaves into your beds and use as mulch.
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Cranefly control: Not effective this month
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For lawn renovation, moss, or cranefly problems,
see:
Lawn Care Tips
For monitoring shrub and tree pest problems,
see:
IPM for October - Seattle Area / PNW
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Beds:
Routine weeding & cleanup.
plant daffodils, tulips, crocus, garlic
Dig geraniums, dahlias, begonia tubers
harvest grape, blueberry, tomato, squash
plant cover crops in bare beds. Some suitable crops are winter wheat, crimson clover, fava bean, austrian pea, hairy vetch
try wildflower and other drought tolerant plantings in larger open areas
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MULCH
- helps suppress weeds and makes them easier to remove
- protects soil from compaction and erosion due to rain
- protects sensitive plants against cold damage
* Add mulch to beds if needed. More than 2" total depth of mulch is not recommended
* Compost is a mulch containing significant amounts of decomposed organic matter
* Compost, leaves, and moss, are effective soil builders
* Leaves provide good cover for bare-dirt beds and slopes
* Leaves left in beds can be raked up if they become unacceptably unsightly after at least some of the mass breaks down; or, till them back into the bed in the spring, or add more mulch later over the leaves.
* Keep mulch away from trunks of shrubs and trees.
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Compost
* For garden area's and closely planted beds, Compost is a good mulch to improve soil quality and provide organic nutrients.
* Cedar Grove top soil/compost mix seems like a good product.
It has good structure and not so odorous and
mucky during winter and early spring as their compost
product.
* Compost of variable quality is usually available at landscape materials outlets. Check for excessive sand and sawdust in mix.
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* For open bed area's, play area's, trails;
* Arbor chips work well - they can be applied more thickly than other mulches, but will be more time consuming to apply, and variable in quality. sunset materials is a possible source.
* play chips can also be used as mulch but it will have a different appearance and color you may not prefer
* "Beauty Carpet" was attractive and conformed to play area specs. I am not sure if it was a compost, or if it is still available in the Seattle area.
* Coarse bark mulch will last quite a bit longer than finer bark
* Cedar chip mulch may be available - you may try Issaquah lumber.
Also I have seen shredded cedar and a good coarse fir bark available in bags at Pacific Hardware on Capitol Hill and Lowes. You will pay more than buying in bulk but the bags make the job easier and may save a long trip to a bulk landscape materials supplier.
* Dyed wood chip mulch if used should be certified not to contain shredded pallets before using it.