Roses

We all know how hard you’ve worked to have a beautiful landscape. Now how do you keep it thriving and surviving the summer heat? Here are some of our top tips for keeping everyone happy and healthy:

Water….we need it and so do your plants. Water in the morning or evening before 10am or after 6pm. Keep the water on the plants, lawn, flowerbeds, not in the gutter, sidewalk, or street. Sprinkler systems are great for established lawns and landscapes. Water established lawns once a week. New plantings really need to be hand watered to insure the water is getting to the root system. Check new plantings daily for water needs.
Fertilize the lawn, shrubs, trees, and tropicals with Milorganite, Medina Growin Green, or Gill Lawn & Garden Fertilizer. Be sure to apply early morning or evening and water in. Milorganite won’t burn but needs water to start working.
Feed your veggies and herbs Espoma Plant Tone. Citrus and fruit trees with Espoma Citrus Tone.
Treat the lawn with Bayer Season Long Grub Control if you see brown areas in the lawn that are easily pulled up, usually a sign of grubs eating the roots of your grass.
Chinch bugs love hot dry areas in lawns. They make the lawn look dried out along sidewalks and pavement. Treat with Cyonara, or Triazicide in easy ready to spray bottles. For organic control, use Spinosad or Diatomaceous Earth.
Revamp your old spring annuals with some die-hard summer color. Flowers like purslane, zinnias, moss rose, periwinkles and sweet potato vine will need water but thrive in our summer heat. If you are so inclined, try adding spineless prickly pear, Texas sage, and other desert beauties that add color and form to landscapes.
Prune the old spent blooms and seed heads from your crape myrtles. It’ll help them to repeat their summer show of color.
Nothing wrong with playing in the water hose or sprinkler with your kids. My dogs and I have a grand time in the evening playing, cooling off and watering the lawn all at the same time.
Treat for fungus if needed. Roses, crape myrtles, and gerbera daisies are prone to powdery mildew and plumeria develop rust. Good air circulation is important and if needed use Fertilome Systemic Fungicide, Serenade, or Actinovate.
Trim to shape plants to keep good form but avoid heavy pruning during the summer heat. This is good for the plants and you.
Mulch everything including your potted plants to help hold moisture and reduce weeds.
Most important…enjoy some time in your outdoors!

-DeAnna & Debbie

Lawn Care

Weed Control

Spot treat existing weeds growing now with natural horticultural vinegar or Captain Jack's Deadweed Brew. Both will burn any foliage so take care to not spray your plants or lawn.

To prevent weeds, apply Hi Yield Grass and Weed Stopper or Weed Beater Complete to help control existing weeds and prevent new ones.

Apply Weed-B-Gon for Southern Lawns or Image to kill the existing weeds once our weather warms up to 70-80 degrees with no rain for about 5 days. They are safe for Floratam & Raleigh St. Augustine and Bermuda. Give them 2 weeks to fully work and then it should be time to fertilize the lawn.

Fertilize

Fertilize when the grass is actively growing. Apply organic Medina Growin Green or Milorganite to your lawn. Water in well (approximately 30 minutes per area). These organic fertilizers will feed your lawn and soil with minimal watering. Lay new sod anytime, bermuda seed anytime this month.

Read: Treat For Take-All Patch in Lawns

Watch: How to Collect a Grass Sample

What To Plant

Most annuals and perennials can now be purchased as transplants this month. Here is a list of some of our favorites: (L-R) caladiums (plants and bulbs), larkspur, petunias, salvia, gerbera daisy, alyssum, false heather, celosia, lantana, coleus.

Read: Fuel For Your Hungry Hummers

Vegetable Seeds

Beans, okra, radish, pumpkins, and watermelons, squash, cantaloupe, basil, corn

Vegetable Transplants

Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash, eggplant, and strawberries
Garden Guide: Vegetable Planting Dates

Hardy Trees, Shrubs, Vines, Grasses

All hardy and tropical trees, shrubs, vines and grasses. I can’t think of one that can’t be planted now!

Bulbs & Caladiums

Late spring and summer bulbs such as caladiums, and elephant ears

Houseplants

March is a great time to clean, trim, and feed your houseplants. As the sun becomes stronger, plants may require more waterings. Check more often. Consider repotting in Spring. Over Winter, houseplant roots can outgrow their existing pots.

Fertilize

AZALEAS, GARDENIAS, MAGNOLIAS

Fertilize organically with Maestro Gro-Rose Glo or Espoma Azalea Tone.

HIBISCUS & TROPICAL BLOOMERS

Fertilize all hibiscus and tropical bloomers organically with Maestro Gro-Rose Glo, or conventionally with Hibiscus Food.

ALL TREES & SHRUBS

Fertilize organically with Milorganite, Medina Growin Green, Plant Tone, or Hasta Gro.

ANNUALS & PERENNIALS

Fertilize organically with Medina Growing Green, Hasta Gro, Maestro Rose Glo, or Plant Tone, or conventionally with Osmocote Time Release Granules.

ESTABLISHED ROSES

Fertilize organically with Maestro Rose Glo or Plant Tone.

ESTABLISHED CITRUS TREES

Fertilize organically with Citrus Tone.
Read: Fertilize Your Citrus Now

All granular fertilizer should be watered in well.

Prune

All dead and freeze damaged wood from hardy and tropical trees, shrubs, vines and perennials
Wait to prune early spring bloomers like Azaleas, Carolina Jessamine, climbing roses, Texas Mountain Laurels, and Indian Hawthorn until after they finish their bloom.

Water

Water all plants well after planting, and regularly through the first year. Plants will begin to use more water as they grow and bloom.
Outdoor potted plants dry out quickly, as do hanging baskets and small annuals.
Mulch all plants to help hold moisture.

Garden Guide: Good Water Practice for Established Trees, Shrubs, and Lawns

What to Watch Out For

Protect your Lawn from Oak Leaves

Live oaks are following their natural pattern of dropping old leaves before the new leaves come on. Now it’s time to get those oak leaves off your lawn before it suffocates the grass. Under large oaks, since the grass is often thin and stressed anyway because of shade, using a blower is less stressful on the weak turf than a rake.

Lawn Care

Fertilize when the grass is actively growing

Treat organically with Medina Growin’ Green or Milorganite. Organic lawn food is best for long-term root and soil health.

Water in well (approximately 30 minutes per area).

Eliminate broadleaf weeds

Treat with Ortho Weed B Gon for Southern Lawns for broadleaf weeds, Image for grassy weeds and sticker burrs.

Water lawn 2 days prior to application.

If you treat for weeds, wait 3 weeks before you fertilize.

Read: Time to Fertilize and Get Rid of the Weeds!

Lay new sod

Lay new sod or plant Bermuda seed anytime this month.

Read: St. Augustine Turf Grass: Varieties We Sell and Their Characteristics

Watch: How to Repair Dead Patches in Your Lawn
Watch: How to Collect a Grass Sample

Water

Only water every 7 to 14 days if we don’t get rain.
Water deeply (1”per area.)
It’s best to water in the morning. This helps to reduce problems with fungus.

Set your sprinkler:

For best lawn health in clay soil, sprinklers should be run for short times but repeated several times in the same morning, so water can soak in before more water is added. Water deep to train roots to go deep.

Read: If You Have a Lawn Irrigation System

What To Plant

Late spring/summer blooming annuals and perennials:

For sunny areas:
Zinnias, periwinkles, moss rose, purslane, lantana, blue daze, false heather, salvia, ice plant, gomphrena, ruellia, coreopsis, and pentas.

Read: Create Your Own Butterfly Garden

For shady areas:
Shrimp plant, ageratum, agapanthus, caladiums, coleus, begonia

Vegetables

Seeds:
Okra, beans, black eyed peas, watermelon, ornamental gourds, cantaloupe

Transplants:
Peppers, cucumbers, squash, eggplant, okra

Indoor Plants

Pro Tips for Houseplants

If your houseplant looks unhappy, think location first. It may need to be moved to a different spot with different lighting.
Keep them away from the AC vents (they like humidity and the AC dries them out)
General rule for watering; water well then re-water once the soil feels dry to the touch
Spring is time to start fertilizing your houseplants. Your plants will love organic Hasta Gro
If they are getting too big for their pots, bump up to a slightly larger pot. Watch video

Read: Plants, the Perfect Rx for Clean Air, Pro Planting Tip: Not Too Deep

Fertilize

Established citrus trees

(3 years or older)

Fertilize organically with Citrus Tone, Medina Growin’ Green, Hasta Gro, Plant Tone, or conventionally with Ammonium Sulfate 21-0-0.

Azaleas, gardenias, and magnolias

Fertilize organically with Maestro Gro-Rose Glo, or Espoma Azalea Tone.

Annuals and perennials

Fertilize organically with Medina Growin’ Green, Hasta Gro, Maestro Rose Glo, PlantTone, or conventionally with Hibiscus Food.

Established roses

Treat organically with Maestro Rose Glo, PlantTone, or conventionally with Hibiscus Food

Trees and shrubs

Fertilize trees organically with Medina Growin’ Green or Milorganite. Feed shrubs organically with Medina Growin’ Green, Plant Tone, or Liquid Hasta Gro.

Warm weather vegetables

Fertilize organically with Medina Growin’ Green, Hasta Gro, Maestro Rose Glo, or Plant Tone.

Prune

Early spring bloomers:

Early spring bloomers: Including azaleas, indian hawthorn and caroline jessamine – wait to prune until AFTER they bloom

Hedges:

Trim hedges as needed to maintain good form.

Poinsettias:

Prune to approximately 12” tall.

Watch Out For

Watch out for pest outbreaks on everything from vegetables to trees. They should be out in full force and hungry. Watch for powdery mildew and blackspot on roses.

Read: With The Spring Flush Comes Insects

Caterpillars:

Treat organically with Spinosad or Thuricide, or conventionally with Cyonara.

Read: Caterpillar Alert!
Read: Are Your Bougainvilleas Being Chewed?

Scale:

Treat organically with Neem Oil Spray or Spinosad Soap, or conventionally with Cyonara.
Read: Does Your Hackberry Have Wooly Aphids?

Beetles, Aphids:

Treat organically with Spinosad Soap or Diatomaceous Earth, or conventionally with Cyonara.

Fungus, Powdery Mildew:

Treat organically with Neem Oil or Revitalize Fungicide 5, or conventionally with Fertilome Broad Spectrum Fungicide, Systemic Fungicide

White Fly:

Treat organically with Insecticidal Soap, Neem Oil or conventionally with Cyonara.

Mulch

Apply mulch around trees, flowerbeds and vegetable gardens to reduce weeds and help retain moisture.

We recommend: Cypress, hardwood, black velvet, and pine straw mulch. These reduce weeds well and will not float away.

Lawn Care

Apply Medina Growin’ Green or Milorganite to your lawn. Water in well approximately 30 minutes per area to begin working. These feed the soil and your lawn.

Prevent broadleaf weeds

Use Hi-Yield Crabgrass & Weed Preventer

Plant new grass

Lay new sod or Bermuda seed anytime this month – plan to make time for watering!

Follow city watering guidelines

Continue watering established lawns if we don’t have rain.

Visit: City Watering Guidelines

Fix yellow spots

Apply Nature’s Blend Compost to yellow spots in lawn.

Watch: How to Collect a Grass Sample

Plant

Sunny areas:

Zinnias, Periwinkles, Moss Rose, Purslane, Lantana, Blue Daze, False Heather, Salvia, Ice Plant, Gomphrena, Ruellia, Coreopsis, Pentas

Shady areas:

Caladiums, Coleus, Begonias, Ageratum, Shrimp Plant, Torenia, Agapanthus, Snowbush

Seeds:

Morning Glory, Moonflower, Zinnias, Sunflowers, Gomphrena

All container grown hardy and tropical trees, shrubs, vines, grasses, groundcover, and citrus trees

Read: Fruit Trees and Citrus in Your Own Backyard

Indoor Plants

Warm temps allow you to take your indoor plants outdoors for some fresh air. Just be sure to keep them protected from the sun. Shady patios are perfect for a short stay. Wash off the dust and bring them back in nice and clean.

Read: Plants, the Perfect Rx for Clean Air, Pro Planting Tip: Not Too Deep

Pro Tips for Houseplants

If your houseplant looks unhappy, think location first. It may need to be moved to a different spot with different lighting.
Keep them away from the AC vents (they like humidity and the AC dries them out)
General rule for watering; water well then re-water once the soil feels dry to the touch
Spring is time to start fertilizing your houseplants. Your plants will love organic Hasta Gro
If they are getting too big for their pots, bump up to a slightly larger pot.

Fertilize

All granular fertilizer should be watered in well.

Tomato & Pepper Plants

Fertilize regularly with organic Rose Glo or Hasta Gro, Plant Tone, or Medina Growin' Green, or conventionally with High Yield 21-0-0 (ammonium sulfate).

Annuals & Perennials

Use organic Medina Growin' Green, Rose Glo or Plant Tone, or Hasta Gro.

Azaleas, Magnolias, Gardenias

Fertilize organically with Maestro Gro-Rose Glo, or Espoma Azalea Food.

Roses

Fertilize organically with Maestro Gro-Rose Glo.

Hibiscus & Tropical Bloomers

Use organic Maestro Gro-Rose Glo, or conventional Hibiscus Food.

Trees & Shrubs

Fertilize organically with Milorganite, Medina Growin' Green.

Prune

All early spring bloomers if not already done, such as Azaleas, Indian Hawthorn and Carolina Jessamine.
Trim hedges as needed to maintain good form.
Poinsettias to approximately 12” tall.

Watch Out For

Fungus, Powdery Mildew

Treat organically with Neem Oil. Use Fertilome Liquid Systemic Fungicide on ornamentals.

Grub Worms

Use organic Spinosad Soap, or conventional Season Long Grub Control.

Spider Mites

Treat organically with Spinosad Soap or conventionally with Cyonara, Bonide Systemic.

Lace Bugs on Lantana

Use Cyonara.

Read: Lacebugs on Lantana

Chinch Bugs

Use organic Diatomaceous Earth, or Spinosad, or conventional Cyonara.

Read: Check For Chinch Bugs If Your Lawn Looks Dry Even Though You Know It’s Not!

Mealy Bugs

Treat organically with Neem Oil, or Insecticidal Soap, or conventionally with Bonide Systemic.

Read: Mealy Bugs are Here

Fleas & Ticks

Treat organically with Spinosad, Diatomaceous Earth, or conventionally with Cyonara.

Read: Got Fleas?

Water

When watering during periods of windy dry conditions, it’s important to water slow and deep. Be sure to watch the spray of your sprinkler and adjust accordingly with the wind

Water all plants well after planting and regularly through the first year. Plants will begin to use more water as they grow and bloom. Outdoor potted plants dry out quickly as do hanging baskets and small annuals.

Mulch

Apply mulch around trees, flowerbeds and vegetable gardens to reduce weeds and help retain moisture. We like cypress, hardwood and pinestraw mulch. These reduce weeds well and will not float away.

Plant

September is vegetable and seed month.

There are numerous selections of vegetables to be started in the garden or in containers. Come in and pick up our fall vegetable guide.

Tomatoes & Peppers

Tomatoes and peppers can be planted through the middle of the month.

Planting Guide: Our Tomato Varieties
Read: New! Grape Tomato ‘Ruby Crush’
Read: Fall Tomatoes

Herbs

A large selection of herbs will be ready to add spice to your garden.
Garden Guide: Herbs

Bluebonnets & Other Wildflowers, Nasturtiums & Fall Marigolds

Plant by seed or transplants.

Read: Fall is Wildflower Time!, Benefits of Marigolds in Your Veggie Garden, Nasturtiums – Super Pretty & Easy (Yummy Too!)

Don’t plant pansies or snapdragons until temperatures have cooled down!

There is still time to add quick summer color such as zinnias, coleus, purslane, moss rose and periwinkles.
Read: Success with Fall Flowers, Best Tips of Planting Trees This Fall, Organic Gardening, Fuel For Your Hungry Hummers

Fertilize

Tropicals

We recommend organic Maestro Rose Glo, or conventional Hibiscus Food

Vegetables

We recommend organic Medina Growin’ Green, Hasta Gro, Maestro Rose Glo or Plant Tone, or conventional Hi Yield Ammonium Sulphate.

Roses

We recommend organic Maestro Rose Glo.

Poinsettias

We recommend organic Maestro Rose Glo or Hasta Gro.

Blooming Annuals and Perennials

We recommend Organic: Medina Growin Green, Hasta Gro or Maestro Rose Glo, or conventional Hibiscus Food.

All plants that are especially stressed, or recently transplated

We recommend organic Hasta Gro Organic Fertilizer or Super Thrive

Christmas Cactus

We recommend organic Hasta Gro.

Read: How to Get Your Christmas Cactus to Bloom!
Read: It's Time to Fertilize For Fall!

Prune

Continue removing faded flowers from annuals and perennials to encourage new blooms.
Faded blooms and seedpods from crape myrtles to promote additional blooming.
Rule of thumb for fall pruning is no more than 1/3. Wait until January for heavy cutbacks.

Read: Sharp Tools for Fall Pruning!

Lawns

Apply organic Nature's Blend or Peat Moss for lawns, or conventional F-Stop granules as a preventative to brown patch fungus, which shows up as temperatures drop during fall and winter months.

Watch: Brown Patch Fungus

Apply organic Nature's Blend, Peat Moss or conventional Hi Yield Iron Plus to yellowing lawns.

Apply Nature’s Blend, Peat Moss, or Scotts Disease Ex to lawns prone to Take All Patch Fungus.

Continue to water deeply every 1 to 2 weeks if little rainfall.

Wait to apply fall fertilizer until October!

Watch: How to Collect a Grass Sample

Water

Check all newly planted material for water every day.
Check pots, containers and hanging baskets often as they dry out quickly and need more water.
Apply mulch as needed to help conserve moisture.
Make arrangements for someone to water if leaving for more than 2 days, especially with new plants.
Follow City Guidelines.

Read: Summer Watering 101

Weed Control

Spray only growing weeds with Captain Jacks Deadweed Brew or Horticultural Vinegar. These products kill all vegetation; so protect plants from drift or over spray.

Apply organic Corn Gluten meal, or Weed and Grass Stopper with Dimension in the fall and spring to prevent seeds from sprouting. It will not control already growing weeds.

Weed B Gon or Image can be applied once we cool down into the 80’s temps. An organic option is Captain Jack’s Lawn Weed Brew.

Watch For

Masses of worms eating your oak tree.

Treat with organic Spinosad or Thuricide, or conventional Cyonara. Read: Oak Tree Caterpillars

White Flies on tropicals and perennials, especially lantana and hibiscus.

Treat with organic Insecticidal Soap, Neem Oil, Spinosad Soap, Bee Safe 3-in-1 Spray, or conventional Cyonara or a long acting drench like Fertilome Tree & Shrub

Watch: Yucky Whitefly

Fleas and Ticks

Treat lawns with organic Spinosad, or Diatomaceous Earth Crawling Insect Killer, or conventional Cyonara

Mealy Bugs

Treat with organic Bee Safe 3-in-1 Spray or Insecticidal Soap or Spinosad Soap, or conventional Cyonara, or Bonide Systemic Liquid or Granule

Read: Mealy Bugs are Here!

Caterpillars or their damage (chewed leaves).

Spray organically with Spinosad or Thuricide.

Read: Not All Caterpillars are Bad!

Mosquitoes

Use Mosquito Beater Liquid for quick kill or Mosquito Beater Granules to repel.

Read: Mosquito Solutions

Note: Please, Please, Please, don’t kill the bees!

They are one of the best sources we have to pollinate our fruits, vegetables, flowers, and shrubs.

Planting Season!

Fall is Our Best Planting Season!

Trees, shrubs, and perennials get a great bonus when planted in fall. South Texas enjoys relatively warm soil temperatures through fall and winter, and cooler air temperatures direct the new plant to grow roots all through this time. So, a plant put into the ground in fall will grow twice as fast the following spring as one planted in spring due to having developed twice the root system, and it will also suffer much less stress in its first South Texas summer. We are lucky that we can garden year round here, but fall is our best season for planting!

Plant

Vegetable Seeds

Beet, carrot, cilantro, collards, lettuce, mustard, onion, parsley, radish, Swiss chard, spinach, and turnip.

Read: Best Timing for Popular Fall Veggies, Keith’s Swiss Chard Success Story

Flower Seeds

Bluebonnets and other wildflowers, larkspur, sweet peas, nasturtiums.

Read: Fall is Wildflower Planting Time!

Vegetable Transplants

Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, strawberries, parsley, cilantro, and other herbs.

Read: How to Keep Your Vegetable Garden Healthy This Fall, Get Your Greens! Sally’s Kale Smoothie Recipe

Flower Transplants

Alyssum, begonias, bluebonnet, calendula, chrysanthemum, dianthus (pinks) dusty miller, flowering cabbage and kale, geraniums, gerbera daisy, impatiens, lobelia, marigolds, pansies, petunias, phlox, salvia, snapdragons, stock, verbenas, and viola.

Read: Success with Fall Flowers, Marigolds & Mums!

Flower Bulbs

Begin refrigerating bulbs that require chilling such as paperwhites. Amaryllis can be planted now.

Read: Amaryllis & Paperwhites

All container grown trees and shrubs

Read: Burr Oak – an Awesome South Texas Tree
Read: Best Tips of Planting Trees This Fall

Indoor Plants

Check the window lighting for your indoor plants. The sun is moving with the change of the season and may bring more or less light indoors.
Heater vents can cause blemished foliage and dry plants out more quickly. Watch your placement of any new plants coming indoors.
With cold fronts coming, plan to move your house plants indoors, if you have moved any outside during warmer weather. Provide adequate lighting & adjust watering.
Let this be your last feeding for your outdoor tropical plants that are becoming houseplants for the winter. They need to rest.
Keep watch for any tagalong critters or insects & move them back outdoors. Treat if needed.

Fertilize

Read: Organic Gardening

Winterize Your Lawn

Winterize your lawn with organic Milorganite or Medina Growin’ Green.

Tropicals

We recommend: Organic Maestro Rose Glo, Hasta Gro, or conventional Hibiscus Food

Roses

Organic: Maestro Rose Glo

Poinsettias

Organic: with Maestro Rose Glo

Blooming Annuals and Perennials

Organic: Medina Growin Green, Hasta Gro or Maestro Rose Glo

Conventional: Hibiscus Food, or Osmocote 14-14-14 Time Release

Read: Success with Fall Flowers

Vegetables

Organic: Hasta Gro, Medina Growin Green, Maestro Rose Glo, or Plant Tone

Conventional: Hi Yield Ammonium Sulphate, or Osmocote 14-4-14 Time Release Granules

Christmas Cactus

Organic: Hasta Gro

Read: How to Get Your Christmas Cactus to Bloom!

All plants that are especially stressed, or recently transplanted

We recommend organic Hasta Gro.

Read: It’s Time to Fertilize for Fall!

Lawn Care

Apply conventional Fertilome F-Stop as a preventative to brown patch fungus, which shows up as temperatures drop during fall and winter months.

Apply organic Nature’s Blend or Peat Moss to lawns prone to Take All Patch Fungus, or conventional Scotts Disease X.

Read: Protect Your Lawn: Recent Take All Root Rot Sightings (TARR)

Continue to water deeply every 1 to 2 weeks if little rainfall.

Read: Top Five Tips for a Beautiful Fall Lawn, Fall and Winter Lawn Care

Watch Out For

Masses of worms eating your oak tree.

Treat with organic Spinosad or Thuricide or conventional Cyonara

Read: Oak Tree Caterpillars

Grub Worms in Lawns

Treat with Bayer 24 hour Grub Control Granules

White Flies on tropicals and perennials, especially lantana and hibiscus.

Treat with organic Spinosad Soap, Bee Safe 3-in-1, Neem Oil, or conventional Eight Garden Spray Tree & Shrub drench, or Bonide Systemic Garanules.

Chinch Bugs in Lawns

Treat with organic Diatomaceous Earth, Spinosad or conventional Cyonara

Mealy Bugs

Treat with organic Neem Oil, Spinosad Soap, or Bee Safe 3-in-1, or conventional Cyonara, or Bonide Systemic Liquid or Granule

Read: Mealy Bugs are Here!

Mosquitoes

Use Mosquito Beater Liquid for quick kill or Mosquito Beater Granules to repel

Read: Mosquito Solutions

Fleas and Ticks

Treat lawns with organic Spinosad, or Diatomaceous Earth Crawling Insect Killer or conventional Cyonara

Powdery Mildew on Crape Myrtles & Roses

Use organic Neem Oil or conventional Fertilome Systemic Fungicide

Note: Please, Please, Please, don’t kill the bees!

They are one of the best sources we have to pollinate our fruits, vegetables, flowers, and shrubs.

Read: Best for Bees!

Water

Water your newly planted vegetables and bedding plants regularly, but take care not to overwater with cooler nighttime temperatures.

Cut back on watering your established plants and lawn as temperatures cool down, since they use less water. If you are unsure when to water, use a moisture meter to take out the guesswork.

Prune

Your hardy, woody ornamentals and tropicals only to shape, not severely.

Summer perennials.

Plant

Vegetable Seeds

Beets, carrot, garlic, lettuce, mustard, onion, parsley, radish, Swiss chard, spinach, turnips, herbs

Read: Best Timing for Popular Fall Veggies

Flower Seeds

Alyssum, bluebonnets, dianthus, delphinium, hollyhocks, larkspur, nasturtium, pansies, petunias, phlox, snapdragons, stock, sweet peas, and violas

Read: Success with Fall Flowers

Flower Transplants

All cool season annuals Alyssum, begonias, bluebonnets, calendulas, dianthus, flowering cabbage and kale, geraniums, lobelia, pansies, petunias, phlox, shasta daisy, snapdragons, stock, violas and dusty miller

Garden Guide: Annuals for Fall and Winter

Fall Bulbs

Fall bulbs like paper whites and amaryllis, will make a spectacular show this winter and spring, and now is the time to buy them. Paper whites need to be chilled for 4 to 6 weeks in your refrigerator then planted in pots or in the ground. They can make beautiful gifts for the holidays. Be sure to get a free instruction sheet on their planting and care.

Read: Amaryllis and Paperwhite Narcissus

Herbs

If you’re cooking for the holidays, you can still plant herbs for that “fresh from the garden” flavor. Even if you’re not cooking, they’re still fun to grow.

Read: Tips for Preserving Herbs

All container grown trees and shrubs.

Garden Guide: Planting Trees, Shrubs, and Groundcovers

Read: Burr Oak – an Awesome South Texas Tree

Indoor Plants

Add foliage plants to your indoors for a fresh look and to help keep air clean.
Clean indoor plants by removing dust with a damp cloth.
Check where plants are set so that heater vents will not blow on foliage.
Stop fertilizing until February to let your indoor plants rest.

Read: Plants, the Perfect Rx for Clean Air

Fertilize

Lawns

Fertilize your lawn with organic Medina Growin’ Green or Milorganite

Read: Top Five Tips for Beautiful Fall Lawn, Protect Your Lawn: Recent Take All Root Rot Sightings (TARR)

Roses

We recommend: Organic Maestro Rose Glo

Blooming Annuals and Perennials

Use organic Medina Growin’ Green, Hasta Gro, Maestro Rose Glo, or Plant Tone

Vegetables

We recommend organic Hasta Gro, Maestro Rose Glo, or Plant Tone

Read: How to Keep Your Vegetable Garden Healthy This Fall

All plants that are especially stressed, or recently transplanted

We recommend organic Hasta Gro or Plant Tone

Water

Water your newly planted vegetables and bedding plants regularly, but take care not to overwater with cooler nighttime temperatures.
Cut back on watering your established plants and lawn as temperatures cool down, since they use less water. If you are unsure when to water, use a moisture meter to take out the guesswork.

Prune

Woody Ornamentals

Your hardy woody ornamentals to shape, not severely, so as not to encourage new tender growth.

Read: To Prune or Not to Prune?

Fall Bloomers

Your fall blooming plants, like asters and mums, that have finished their bloom. Remove spent blooms from annuals, like petunias, snapdragons and dianthus to encourage more bloom.

Read: How to Trim Your Mums for a Second Bloom

Watch Out For

Read: What's Bugging You Now?

Watch: How to Collect a Grass Sample

Caterpillars

Caterpillars or their damage (chewed leaves). Spray with organic Thuricide, Dipel Dust, or Spinosad

Read: Oak Tree Caterpillars

Powdery Mildew on Crape Myrtles and Roses

Use organic Fungicide 5 or Neem Oil or conventional Fertilome Broad Spectrum or Fertilome Systemic Fungicide

Fleas and Ticks

Treat lawns with organic Spinosad, or conventional Cyonara

Mosquitoes

Use Mosquito Beater granules to repel and Mosquito Beater liquid to kill.

Note: Please, Please, don’t kill the bees!

They are one of the best sources we have to pollinate our fruits, vegetables, flowers and shrubs.

Read: Best for Bees

Plant

Flowers from Seed

Carnations, larkspur, nasturtium, petunias, poppy

Garden Guide: Planting Fall & Winter Annuals

Flowers from Transplant

Pansies, petunias, alyssum, dianthus, snapdragons, ornamental cabbage and kale, geraniums

Hardy Trees, Shrubs and Vines

The roots of hardy plants grow during our cool months even though their leaves may be changing color or falling from their branches. This provides a better root system so they thrive in spring and can survive the long, hot summer. Live oaks, magnolia, cedar elm, hawthorns, holly, sage, junipers, roses, just to name a few, are winter hardy and would be appropriate to plant now. Read more: Plant Hardy Trees And Shrubs Now

Garden Guide: Planting Trees, Shrubs & Groundcovers, Roses

Veggies from Seed

Beets, cabbage (all types), carrots, chard, lettuce, mustard, onions, peas, radish, spinach and turnips

Christmas cactus is one of nature’s gifts for those who are gardening challenged. Just keep them dry and in very filtered light. How’s that for easy?

A beautiful holiday plant, the Christmas Cactus blooms at Christmas and also sometimes around Easter if cared for properly. Keep the plant in a well lit location (like near a window) away from direct sunlight-too much heat and light can stunt the growth and burn the leaves. It should also be away from drafts, heat vents, or other sources of hot air. Feel the soil with your fingers; if it is dry, it’s time to water thoroughly. Before watering again, check to see that the top inch of soil has dried thoroughly first. Mist leaves as well as watering the soil.

Fall bulbs like paper whites and amaryllis, will make a spectacular show this winter and now is the time to plant them.

Paperwhite Narcissus
1. Refrigerate for 4-6 weeks prior to planting.
(plant around Thanksgiving for holiday blooms!)
2. Fill a clear vase with a few inches of pea gravel.
3. Nestle bulbs side by side into the gravel.
4. Add water up to the bottom of the bulb and
place near a sunny window.

Amaryllis
Plant in a pot or in the ground. If planting in the ground, place in morning sun and afternoon shade. Every three years in October, you can dig up and divide these bulbs as they multiply underground! Feed regularly with Hi-Yield Bone Meal every 4-6 weeks.

Indoor Plants

Bring fresh air and interest indoors. Houseplants like schefflera, sanseveria, pothos ivy, & philodendrons bring a clean organic feel to your home. While you move plants in from outdoor areas, be sure to check for insects and treat if needed.

Read: Plants, the Perfect Rx for Clean Air

Poinsettias indoors do best in cool dry areas with indirect light. An easy way to water them is with a few ice cubes every few days. Read: Poinsettia Care

Fertilize

BEDDING PLANTS
Fertilize organically with Hastagro, Medina Growin Green, or Milorganite, or conventionally with Osmocote Time Release 14-14-14.
Do not fertilize TROPICALS this month. They need to rest.

LAWN

If you didn’t fertilize your lawn in October or November, instead of applying a chemical fertilizer, we recommend you use an organic fertilizer such as Medina Growin Green or Milorganite. These products feed the grass & soil microbes slowly and naturally.

Read: Organic Gardening 101: Organic Fertilizers

Watch Out For

Read: Protect Your Lawn – Recent Take-All Root Rot Sightings

SCALE
Insects on hardy trees and shrubs. Spray with Neem Oil spray or Dormant Oil.

Read: What’s Bugging You Now?

LAWN FUNGUS
This can be a major problem after long periods of wet, cool weather or over watering. There are two major kinds of lawn fungus – Take All Patch and Brown Patch. Treat Take All Patch organically with Nature’s Blend Organic Compost, or Peat Moss, or conventionally with Fertilome Systemic Lawn Fungicide or Scotts DiseaseEX.

Treat Brown Patch Fungus with Fertilome F-Stop Granules.

Water

Only as needed – but dry cold fronts, high winds and low humidity can dry plants quickly.
Established lawns only need water every couple of weeks, provided we don’t get rain.
Be sure to check your sprinkler system and adjust accordingly.

Prune

Perennials that have finished their bloom.
Pick spent flowers from annuals to prolong their bloom season.

Read: To Prune or Not to Prune?

Harvest Citrus

Starting in December, and more in January, harvest your lemons, limes, grapefruit, oranges, and other citrus fruits. What a great holiday gift!
If you notice any fruits with black gunk on them, it's likely honeydew from insects. Treat with organic All Season Horticultural Oil spray to suffocate any lingering insects.

Be Ready for Frost Protection!

We never know if we might get an early freeze in December, so have your frost blankets handy.
When covering plants for a freeze, make a tent to capture ground warmth - not a lollipop! The frost protection cloth should extend all the way to the ground and be pinned to the ground or, better yet, weighed down with bricks or firewood - something heavy so they don't blow away in high winds.