November 25 2006 Timely Tips

GARDENING CALENDAR

TEXAS COOPERATIVE EXTENSION

BEXAR COUNTY

BY DAVID RODRIGUEZ

November 25, 2006

  • Before your fall garden finishes, be sure to collect and store your favorite seeds for next year. Collect the biggest and best looking seeds and proceed by drying them before storage. Use medicine bottles, film canisters, paper bags, or envelopes to store seeds. Store seeds in a cool, dry location, or in the refrigerator.
  • Begin preparing new beds for your spring vegetable or flower garden. Eliminate all grass and till at least six inches of enriched compost into the beds with 10 pounds of Texas greensand per 1000 square feet and 10 pounds of an organic fertilizer such as Growin Green granules. Consider using cereal rye (Elbon) as a nematode trap crop and green manure crop. Spinach transplants can now be planted in the garden.
  • There is still time to plant wildflower seeds! The area you plant should be free of grass and weeds for the best germination. Bluebonnet and larkspur transplants can be planted, too.
  • Check patio plants for insects before bringing them indoors. Use Horticultural soap, Horticulture oil, or Neem oil on noticeable insects. Prevent insects with Di-Syston systemic granules every four weeks. Feed plants with an organic time released fertilizer such as Growin Green granules.
  • Brown patch has become a serious problem on ‘Raleigh’ St. Augustine grass due to its susceptibility and overplanting. Cut back on your turf grass watering and do not water in the evening. Take appropriate measures to control it early. Consider applying Terraclor fungicide granules or F-Stop lawn granules on the brown patches.

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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