October 28 2006 Timely Tips

GARDENING CALENDAR

TEXAS COOPERATIVE EXTENSION

BEXAR COUNTY

BY DAVID RODRIGUEZ

October 28, 2006

  • If you are looking for colourful fall plants to add to the landscape, consider planting hardy perennials such as Mexican Mint Marigold, Giant Cigar Plant, Hardy Fall Aster, Copper Canyon Daisy and Autumn Sages. These plants will liven up anyone’s landscape before the colder winter season.
  • October’s cooler weather means time to plant other cool-season vegetable crops: beets, Chinese cabbage, carrots, collards, lettuce, mustard, parsley, garden peas, spinach, radishes and turnips. Visit the Extension site for a complete list of recommended Fall Vegetables at: http://bexar-tx.tamu.edu/HomeHort/F4Best/nFallVegPlantList.htm.
  • Continue to fertilize Hibiscus, Bougainvillea, Allamanda, Mandevilla, and other tropical plants that have been spending the summer on your patio, porch or deck. The same goes for hanging baskets and other containerized plants. Use a water-soluble fertilizer such as, a
  • 20-20-20 or 6-12-6 analysis. A light application of a garden-type fertilizer such as, a 6-2-4 or 4-2-3 analysis will boost annual and perennial flowering plants.
  • If you have not done so yet at this time, consider top-dressing your entire lawn turf grass with a ½ inch to ¾ inch layer of compost and Texas greensand (which is an iron potassium supplement). This will help to mend the damage suffered by our lawns during the drought. Applying these supplements will also encourage deeper grass roots, thereby conserving water needs over time.
  • When the soil has cooled, prepare beds for planting Majestic pansies. The pansies need a well-drained soil and sun exposure for at least half a day. It is best to use transplants, as seeds are small and difficult to handle. Blood and bone meal is an excellent fertilizer for pansies. Apply about ½ cup per 12 square feet. Beware, as dogs will be attracted to the smell of this type of fertilizer.

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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