November 18 2006 Timely Tips

GARDENING CALENDAR

TEXAS COOPERATIVE EXTENSION

BEXAR COUNTY

BY DAVID RODRIGUEZ

November 18, 2006

  • This is a good month to plant fruit and pecan trees. The recommended varieties are:
    • Apples — Dorset Golden, Gala, Mollie’s Delicious
    • Apricots — Blenheim
    • Blackberries — Apache (thorn less), Kiowa, Rosborough
    • Blueberries — Tifblue ONLY (see http://www.plantanswers.com/blueberries.htm)
    • Figs — Alma, Celeste
    • Grapes — Black Spanish, Blanc duBois, Champanel
    • Pecan Trees — Desirable, Pawnee, Sioux
    • Peaches — June Gold, La Feliciana
    • Pears — Ayers, LeConte, Orient, Warren
    • Plums — Methley, Santa Rosa
  • Make sure short-day bloomers (Poinsettia, Christmas cactus and Kalanchoe) receive natural sunlight and are not exposed to artificial light at night as this inhibits blooming. This helps set color and blooms for the season. Also, keep potted Poinsettias away from cold or hot drafts, but near a sunny window. Do not let them get too dry.
  • There is still time to plant hardy annuals for winter and early spring color. Most need sunny sites. Consider planting Cyclamen and Primula in the shade.
  • Gourds on display for fall decorations will last longer if they are carefully cleaned, waxed and kept in a dry place. Inspect occasionally for signs of mold.
  • Repair lawn and garden equipment now. Sharpen blades on mowers and drain equipment of old gas before storing. Check your irrigation system for any broken heads or emitters.
  • Sow Cereal Rye (Elbon) in bare parts of vegetable garden as both a nematode trap crop and a “green manure” to be tilled into soil in late winter.

David Rodriguez is County Extension Agent-Horticulture with Texas Cooperative Extension in Bexar County. For more information, call the Master Gardener “Hotline” (210) 467-6575 or visit our County Extension website at http://bexar-tx.tamu.edu

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