10. October
Tree and Shrub Care
October Calendar – From OSU, Corvallis Oregon.
NOTE: Oregon State University Extension Service encourages sustainable gardening practices, which True Care Inc. prescribes to. Preventative pest management is emphasized over reactive pest control. Identify and monitor problems before acting, and opt for the least toxic approach that will remedy the problem. This is part of the IPM (Integrated Pest Management) practice that is the basis of True Care Inc.’s philosophy.
Planning
If needed, improve soil drainage needs of lawns (and beds) before rains begin.
Maintenance and Clean Up
Drain or blow out your irrigation system, insulate valve mechanisms, in preparation of winter.
Recycle disease-free plant material and kitchen vegetable and fruit scraps into compost. Don’t compost diseased plants unless you are using the “hot compost” method (120° to 150°F).
Use newspaper or cardboard covered by mulch to discourage winter and spring annual weeds or remove a lawn area for conversion to garden beds. For conversion, work in the paper and mulch as organic matter once the lawn grass has died.
Harvest and immediately dry filberts and walnuts; dry at 95° to 100°F.
Harvest and store apples; keep at about 40°F, moderate humidity.
Place mulch over roots of roses, azaleas, rhododendrons and berries, etc. for winter protection.
To suppress future pest problems, clean up by removing diseased plant materials, overwintering areas for insect pests; mulch with manure or garden compost to feed the soil and suppress weeds.
Store garden supplies and fertilizers in a safe, dry place out of reach of children.
Pest Monitoring and Management
Monitor landscape plants for problems. (This should be done all year, in order to identify disease problems that must be delt with proactively) Don’t treat unless a problem is identified.
Remove and dispose of windfall apples that might be harboring apple maggot or codling moth larvae. (As well as diesease spores)
Rake and destroy diseased leaves (apple, cherry, rose, dogwood, etc.), or hot compost diseased leaves.
Spray apple and stone fruit trees, and spring flowering trees and shrubs, at leaf fall to prevent various fungal and bacterial diseases.
