October Green Gardening Tips

The fall season is officially upon us. The leaves have turned into a fiery pot of golds and reds, cascading down to suffocate our perfectly manicured lawns and gardens. Whereas the beauty of a summer green garden has to wait a few more seasons to blossom, these October green gardening tips will help your lawn and garden stay primed and ready during the autumn months.

Initiate Clivia Winter Flowering

o Leave plants outside in a sheltered location until bringing it in before the first frost. Withhold watering and giving any type of nutrients for 6-8 weeks. This encourages the winter flowering of Clivia houseplants.

Clean and Sterilize Tools

o This might be an off green gardening tip, but to prevent fungal and bacterias from forming and spreading diseases next spring, take time to clean and sterilize your tools, stakes, cages, etc.

Plant spring bulbs

o We told you to buy the spring bulbs in September’s gardening tips, now plant them! Most spring bulbs can actually be planted until December, but getting a head start is always recommended.

Harvest sweet basil

o Make sure to do this before the first frost hits! If you don’t, your basil will be destroyed. Keep in mind that the stalks will root in jars of water and a few grains of charcoal.

Prepare a Christmas Cactus

o Keeping a cactus in a cooler room (nighttime temperature being around 50 degrees) will help form the initial buds. Once it blooms, keep the plant in a room with indirect sunlight.

Set aside a winter plant room

o Not only will this help preserve your plants, but it also helps preserve your wallet! Keep the heat down in one room of the house to keep your winter houseplants. Stay away from fertilizing and over watering, and remember that plants flourish with plenty of light! Group pots to raise humidity and keep plants away from heat registers.

Rake, blow or mow leaves

o Although a yearly pain, leaving the leaves on your grass could actually injure the growth of healthy grass if they mat down. Also, keeping leaves out of flower beds will prevent crown rot. Try to come up with fun activities with your family, or pay your grandchildren to rake up the leaves then have jumping contests into the piles!

Start Amaryllius, Narcissus bulbs

o If you want to have one of the only gardens with shoots in your garden come Christmas time, start planting amaryllius and paperwhite narcissus bulbs in early to mid October. Remember, only water sparingly until the shoots actually immerge.