The Vegas Voice 11-20

Gardening in November
By: Howard Galin / Happy Gardening
Welcome to November, the time to finish
cleaning up your gardens for 2020 and to
prepare for more active gardening in 2021.
Many of our activities will center on preventative maintenance
and cleanup. Now is the appropriate time to take on more laborious
tasks, such as raking, digging, making upgrades on irrigation and
landscaping - including removal of trees, bushes and setting up new
beds for future spring plantings.
November begins our winter irrigation schedule of once per week
watering so remember to reset your timers for correct time (DST ends
on November 1 st ) and frequencies. Keep in mind that cactus, agave,
yucca and many other succulents do not get watered from Election Day
(11/3/20) to Presidents’ Day (2/15/21).
November is an ideal time to check for missing, damaged, and
malfunctioning drip emitters and for repositioning new irrigation
tubing. During the past growing season, many of the emitters have
become clogged with alkali salt deposits.
Spend time checking them out and, if needed, remove and soak
in vinegar overnight to clean out any residue before reattaching.
Do just one section of your landscaping at a time so you will not be
overwhelmed by how many emitters you have to check and repair!
In order to maintain proper pH, it may be necessary to apply sulfur to
your soil to counteract high
alkali levels exacerbated by
our exceptionally hot and
dry past summer.
Now is a good time to
add organic mulch and
compost to your soil beds.
This will keep roots from
drying out and freezing in
the coming months. It will also provide for nutrients necessary to keep
plants healthy during dormancy.
In anticipation for colder temperatures, some of your cold-sensitive
plants need to wrapped with burlap sheets (available in rolls and most
gardening centers) and tied with twine or fishing line.
As the days grow cooler, it will be time to move potted plants to
warmer areas in your garden.
When the leaves fall from your deciduous plants, it will be time to
start annual pruning.
Have any questions? Contact me at: Theplantwhisperer28@gmail.
com.
Howard Galin, a/k/a: “The Plant Whisperer” is a retired NYC
school administrator, transplanted in Las Vegas who devotes his
time to communicating with and lecturing about our native
plants.
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November 2020