Tips

OCTOBER

Tips provide by Betty Thacker, a member of the Simpsonville Garden Club & Green Thumbs Garden Clubs and current president of the Greenville Council of Garden Clubs, Inc.

If you didn't fertilize cool-season weather grasses in September, do it now. Get bare patches re-seeded before the middle of October and keep leaf litter off of the new grass.
Reseeding rye grass over warm weather grasses isn't recommended any more as it depletes the nutrients for the winter dormant grasses. Instead enjoy the even golden brown of your winter lawn.
The end of September or the first two weeks of October is a good time to feed your small trees, deciduous trees and evergreens. A slow release fertilizer is better as it won't release too much nitrogen and spur leaf production. New growth can be damaged by freezing weather. Or look for special fall formulas at your garden center.
There is still time to divide summer-flowering perennials and re-plant them. A light mulching will keep the soil warm and encourage root development.
It's not too late to set out bedding plants like pansies and snapdragons for winter color. As a matter of fact these plants planted in October do better for me than those planted in September! Ornamental Cabbage, Kale and Mustards make great winter color too.
October is generally a good "clean-up" month, but avoid cutting back hollow stemmed perennials like lantanas as fall/winter rains can get into the cut stems and freeze and kill the plant. They may be trimmed back in the spring when new growth appears.
Unbelievably, sowing seeds of some annuals during this month will give them a good start! Cornflower, larkspur, stocks, poppies are examples of these seeds that need cold weather to germinate.
Bring house plants in during this month if you haven't already done this. Carefully clean the plants to avoid bringing bugs into the house. Refreshing the potting soil will tidy up the plants.

Provided by: Garden Clubs and Garden Club Members of The Greenville Council of Garden Clubs, Inc. The Council’s Headquarters are located at the Historic Kilgore-Lewis House, 560 N. Academy Street in Downtown Greenville. (visit the Council website www.kilgore-lewis.org for information on becoming a Garden Club member)