vv 10-23

A Very Busy Month
By: Howard Galin / Happy Gardening
October is a busy month for “desert gardeners.”
It’s the best time of the year to add new
additions to your garden since milder daylight
temperatures and cooler evenings will encourage better rooting and
less plant stress.
In addition, the moderate temperatures will allow us more time to
work around our gardens without subjecting ourselves to heat or sun
stroke!
In October, there are five tasks that we should address: Pruning,
Adjusting Irrigation, Fertilizing, Mulching, & Planting.
This is the month to prune and shape palm trees before colder
temperatures arrive. This will allow new and delicate fronds the
necessary time to acclimate and become more tolerant to future frost.
Roses, and other flowering plants and bushes can be selectively
pruned (removing dead branches and spent flowers). Postpone
extensive pruning, however, until early December when these plants
become dormant.
By doing this selective pruning, you will stimulate additional fall
flowering. You can also prune unwanted “suckers” from trees and
bushes.
Remember that deciduous trees should be “heavily” pruned only
after the leaves have fallen off. In addition, you can “cleanup”
dead and damaged branches on non-deciduous now but wait until
December (when dormant) before doing extensive pruning.
Adhere to the Water Authority Fall Schedule as well as reducing how
long you actually water! Check emitters for damage and your system
for leaks to replace or repair.
October is the last month this year to fertilize plants. This will help
replenish nutrients and strengthen roots.
If needed, apply sulfur to the soil to reduce pH levels. This will
improve root absorption of needed nutrients. Add chelated iron to the
soil if plants have yellowing leaves (chlorosis).
Where needed, add rock and/or organic mulch to your landscaping.
Organic mulch will keep root systems moist and warm as colder
temperatures arrive. Replace rock mulch that may have washed away
to prevent further soil erosion.
Gardening centers will have their new deliveries of plants, bushes
and trees. Take time to replace any plants that have been lost during
our extremely hot summer or to improve and upgrade your existing
landscaping. Except for palm trees, anything can be planted now.
Have any questions? Contact me at: Theplantwhisperer28@gmail.
com
Howard Galin is a University of Nevada certified Master
Gardener who lectures on, and writes about native plants and
desert landscaping
38 October 2023