November Gardening Tips

-Regularly rake lawns to keep falling leaves and twigs in check

-Fertilize all deciduous trees, except evergreens, within the first several days of November.  Fertilizing in the fall permits up to 90% of the food to become available to the tree’s root system over the next few months.

-Continue to remove weeds.

-To prevent winter dieback, place soaker hoses around trees and shrubs dripline for 60-90 minutes.

-Spray trees and shrubs with All Seasons Spray Oil to kill over-wintering eggs of mites, mealybugs, gypsy moths, tent caterpillars and scale.  Temperature should remain above 40 degrees for 24 hours after the application.

-Protect young trees like ash, maples and lindens from winter sun scald by wrapping the trunks with burlap.

-After the ground has frozen, protect roses for winter by mounding soil or compost around the crown of the plant.

-Decorate homes for Thanksgiving with Indian corn, pumpkins and gourds.

-Clean up iris beds to eliminate borer infestation next May.

-If you’re planning on planting a live Christmas tree, begin to prepare the hole the third week of the month for easy planting in January.  Cover securely.

-Prune vines that have begun to climb tree trunks- like poison ivy, wisteria, wild grapes and bittersweet.

-Continue to provide birds with fresh water and food.