Huntree Newsletter October 2024

Hi There,

Well, finally we are getting some fall.  It’s been a very weird year weatherwise.  We’ll just sit tight and see what is coming next.

This may be your last chance to pull in your houseplants.   Before you bring them inside, spray them off with the hose or you can give them a spray with horticultural oil or insecticidal soap to get any critters that are trying to hitchhike in.

Do you have basil growing in your garden yet?   Get out there and harvest it… immediately.  Basil is very sensitive to cold.     I love to bring it in, pick off all the leaves, wash and dry them.  When they are dry, chop them up in small pieces and put them in an airtight container or ziplock bag and store in the freezer.   Great in soups.  (Ahhh, tomato bisque… I’m drooling..)

The word is….. WATER,  WATER,  WATER.    It is soooooo dry!  I can’t say it enough.    It’s so important for plants to go into the fall and winter with moist roots.    Surprisingly enough, plants do a lot of root growing in the fall.  If they are dry, this will not happen.   In fact, they may shrivel up and cause the plant to fail.

Are your Hydrangeas looking all brown and dried up?  Then you can do a fall pruning to tidy them up.    There are rules, though.   I know trimming  Hydrangeas is a very confusing topic.  PG Hydrangeas are the easy ones.  (That is an abbreviation for Paniculata Grandiflora  –  large panicles.) You can prune them hard and they don’t care.  They will bloom next year regardless of whether you shorten them down or not.  They bloom on the stems that grow the same season.   Those are the cone shaped ones that start out white and turn pinkish.  Now the pink and blue ones are a different story.  They are called Mopheads or Bigleaf Hydrangeas.   They bloom on the previous year’s stems as well as the new growth.  So don’t shorten them down.   Just snip off the flower heads.    Oakleaf Hydrangeas have already formed their flower buds for next year, so don’t cut them back either.    Check out our Huntree Facebook page.  We have posted a video showing you how to prune Hydrangeas.  Still have questions?  Come in or call us.

It’s a GREAT TIME to plant bulbs.  It hasn’t felt right until now but fall is finally in the air.  Think about spring.  (You know what I mean?)  Plan for some spring fun.   Do you have deer?    Daffodils will not be eaten by deer, so come on in and load up.  We also have tulips (which they love).  But you can pot some up, put them in a plastic bag, tuck them in your extra refrigerator until next February and enjoy some early spring on your window sill.   If you don’t have deer, go at it and plant a big splash of color to get  you excited next spring.

It’s a great time to plant trees and shrubs also, as long as you can WATER.   It’s also a good time to fertilize them.

Thinking  of deer,  we have seen some deer antler  rubbing on young trees.   You may want to protect yours with tree wrap.  We have plastic tubes and paper tree wrap.   It’s so sad to see trees ruined just as they are getting established.    It can severely affect the health of the tree, and the tree could even die.   Speaking of dying trees, WATER, WATER, WATER.   Don’t commit tree murder, says Matt the Brit.    Once a tree’s roots dry out, it’s a goner.

Protect your evergreens from winter burn.  (Especially because of the drought it’s extra important this year.)   We have antidessicant concentrate sitting on the counter in vials that make a gallon of spray,  $4.50.    Apply in November to your evergreens to seal in moisture.  It really makes a difference.    You can also spray it on your winter cut greens decorations and your live cut Christmas tree.

Wishing  you a bunch of FALL FUN!

Jan and the Huntree Gang

Categorised in: Newsletter

This post was written by MHarrison9