Sam Says for November 2016

As soon as frost has killed the foliage on your Dahlias, you can dig them up. Trim the stems off at about six inches and wash the soil off. Once they have dried store the tubers in boxes of peat moss, sawdust, wood shavings or shredded newspaper. Store them in a place where they are protected from freezing and safe from excess moisture. Be sure to check them at least monthly for rot damage. Mark your calendar with a reminded to plant them next year around Mother’s Day.

Apply lime to your lawn. The Calcium in Dolomite Lime or Super Sweet is needed because in areas of high annual rainfall, calcium is leached from the soil. Apply Dolomite Lime at the rate of forty pounds per 1,000 square feet or Super Sweet at the rate of twenty-five pounds per 2,000 square feet of lawn.

Collect fallen leaves for your compost pile. If you have access to a lot of leaves store some in plastic bags for use next spring and summer. Leaves from Walnut and Horse Chestnut trees however, are best left on the ground under the tree.

The late fall/early winter feeding of your lawn is the most important of the year. The cooler temperatures and rainy weather cause grass to come out of dormancy and start to grow. Be sure to rake and remove fallen leaves before applying fertilizer. Keep fallen leaves removed to help prevent molds and bacteria from forming under the leaves.

Continue picking up fallen fruit under trees. It is best not to compost the fruit especially if the tree suffered from apple/pear scab, apple maggots, or brown rot on Peaches or Cherry trees.

Cover crops (green manure) can still be planted now (Oct/Nov). A mixture of vetch, clover and annual rye works really well. If you are not familiar with the benefits of a cover crop, give us a call. Or pick up a copy of our Cover Crop handout the next time you visit Valley Nursery.

Keep bird feeders clean and filled as the insect population begins to decrease. We carry a very nice selection of feeders and bird seed mixes. Bird feeders make great Christmas gifts you know.