November 4 2006 Timely Tips

GARDENING CALENDAR

TEXAS COOPERATIVE EXTENSION

BEXAR COUNTY

BY DAVID RODRIGUEZ

November 4, 2006

  • November is the ideal month to plant for winter color. Pansies, cyclamen, dianthus, violas, snapdragons, flowering cabbage, flowering kale, stock, delphiniums, larkspur, petunias, phlox, calendula, Shasta daisies, and stocks are cool-season bedding plants recommended for this area. They all prefer a sunny location with well-prepared enriched compost and a well-drained soil.
  • Watch for pillbugs, sowbugs or roly-poly bugs eating seedlings and other young transplants of flowering annuals such as bluebonnets, pansies, etc. Control with a barrier of an insecticide such as Sevin (carbaryl) or by using bug baits until the plants are older and tougher. Scale and other hard-to-kill insect pests may be overwintering on your trees or shrubs. Pecan and fruit trees, euonuymus, camellias, hollies and sago palms are favorite hosts. Spray with horticulture oil by following label direction on the container to avoid potential plant damage. Protect any winter annuals from the drift of the horticulture oil spray.
  • November is an ideal month to plant trees and shrubs. Fall is the best time to move trees and shrubs. Planting now gives the plant time to establish its root system before the shoot growth develops in the spring. Remember, ‘Fall is for Planting’.
  • This is the perfect pruning time for many trees and shrubs. If you have oak trees in need of pruning, begin now. It is especially critical in areas where the oak wilt fungus is a problem. Apply horticultural tree wound dressing on all oak cuts. Prune out dead, damaged or diseased wood from trees and shrubs. Avoid topping or dehorning.
  • Do not allow an over accumulation of leaves or thatch to pile up in the lawn area. If they get too wet and packed together, the grass can be damaged. Rake the leaves and thatch or just mow them down. Place the leaves and thatch in a compost pile or spread them over the garden area (do not use Bermuda grass clippings due to their invasiveness to the lawn). Add additional fertilizer such as a 4-2-3 analysis to assist in the decomposition process.

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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