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[need-a-penny-take-a-penny-blog]

Gardens & Arboreta

CLEAN UP DEBRIS:

Rake leaves, fallen fruit and pull weeds. Add weed and pest free materials to your compost pile.

FALL FERTILIZER:

Switch to a “fall fertilizer”, which is lower in nitrogen (N) and higher in phosphorus (P). Using high-nitrogen fertilizers now can lead to a flush of new, tender growth that is susceptible to frost damage.

LAWN MAINTENANCE:

There’s still time to renovate your lawn, weather permitting. The UC Guide to Healthy Lawns is an excellent place to start. So is the UC “Lawn Watering Guide for California”. If you miss Fall’s mild weather window, wait until spring to do any major renovation or installation.

FEED THE SOIL:

Compost is the secret to building good garden soil, no matter what you’re starting out with (sand, clay, etc.). Compost can be added now as a top dressing around established plants. In new landscapes or wherever you plant a new plant (excepting larger landscape trees, which need to be planted in unamended native soil), mix compost with the existing soil by digging or tilling. Regular addition of compost is necessary in our area because organic matter breaks down quickly. Those bags of compost you added a couple years ago are probably gone, gone, gone. Go easy on the tilling, though. Over-tilling can destroy soil structure and over time can create a “plow pan” layer that inhibits water infiltration and can bring dormant weed seeds to the soil surface.

BACKYARD ORCHARD TREES, SHRUBS & VINES:

Time for 1st dormant spraying to control pests and diseases later this month. The easy-to-remember spray schedule is “Thanksgiving, Christmas and Valentine’s Day,” but your best bet is to learn why you’re spraying and how weather plays a role.

Clean up fallen fruit to avoid overwintering pests and diseases.

The University of California Backyard Orchard care sheets will keep you on track and on your way to a tasty harvest:

Almond

Apple

Apricot

Avocado

Berries

Cherry

Chestnut

Citrus

Fig

Filbert (Hazelnut)

Grape (table)

Kiwifruit

Loquat

Nectarine

Olive

Peach

Pear

Pecan

Persimmon

Pistachio

Plum & Prune

Pomegranate

Quince

Walnut

CITRUS CARE RECOMMENDED FERTILIZER APPLICATION RATES: NITROGEN (N): regular application required 1 to 2 year old tree: 2 tablespoons nitrogen fertilizer 3 to 4 times per year or 1/10 lb. nitrogen fertilizer per year 3-year-old tree: ¼ lb. nitrogen applied to dripline before watering 4+ year old tree: 1 lb. actual nitrogen per tree per year. So, if your nitrogen fertilizer contains 33% actual nitrogen (33-0-0), you will need to apply 3 lbs. Some references recommend dividing applications into thirds, totaling 3 applications per year (early spring, summer and fall). If you follow that recommendation, make sure you avoid feeding oranges and grapefruit during summer to avoid thick rinds, lower juice content and re-greening of Valencia oranges. PHOSPHORUS (P): 1 lb. phosphate per tree every 3 to 4 years per mature tree POTASSIUM (K): as needed (deficiency: general leaf pattern begins as a yellowing of the tips and margins, which then gets broader. Necrotic areas and spotting can develop on the leaves) 2.5 to 5 lbs. potassium per mature tree per year for 2 years if deficiency is noted. MAGNESIUM (Mg): as needed (deficiency noted by yellowing between veins of older leaves followed by dropping.) ZINC: as needed (deficiency symptom is “mottle-leaf”, exhibited by “small terminal leaves with mottling between large leaf veins”. Apply late-winter or early spring foliar spray (carefully follow label directions) IRON: as needed (deficiency symptom is yellowing between large leaf veins… i.e. interveinal chlorosis) foliar spray (follow label directions) MANGANESE (Mn): as needed (deficiency: young leaves turn light green between veins, often more noticeable on tree’s north side). Combination “micronutrient sprays” are available at your local nursery if you suspect multiple deficiencies. A specialized citrus fertilizer or “citrus food” likely contains all necessary macro- and micro-nutrients.

References: California Master Gardener Handbook and the following books:

IRRIGATION:

Fall rains are here. Turn off sprinklers during rainy periods and on again when we have a dry stretch. The goal is to water as deeply and infrequently as possible. Shallow, frequent watering (i.e. 10 min/day, 7 days/wk) is a no-no because you’ll end up with shallow root systems requiring frequent watering and conditions that encourage disease. Also, early morning is the best watering time if you want to discourage heat-loving, water-transported plant pathogens. Download the free UC publication “Lawn Watering Guide for California”. This excellent guide solves the mystery of when to water and how much to apply.

ANNUALS:

Replace warm-season annuals with cool-season color. Avoid purchasing summer annuals (petunias, marigolds, etc.). You may still see them for sale in nurseries, but don’t buy ‘em! Leftover warm-season annuals will wither in our winter weather…

PERENNIALS:

Continue deadheading spent flowers. Cut back perennials lightly after they finish blooming. Wait until late frost danger has passed before removing overwintering stems. Leaving some foliage over winter is a good idea because it helps insulate the plants crown and roots.