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7 • POSTED ON September 27, 2005
More Fall Chores
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Alright, folks, brace yourselves for a few more chores you will have to do in the garden this year - apart from snow removal, that is. You have my word that for the remainder of the year, my weekly babble will not involve any assignments whatsoever but there are a few things we have to take care of before we can start decorating for fall, retire the lawn mower and/or plan a winter holiday.

Our gardening column is published every Tuesday on OttawaStart. Read previous columns here.

Alright, folks, brace yourselves for a few more chores you will have to do in the garden this year - apart from snow removal, that is. You have my word that for the remainder of the year, my weekly babble will not involve any assignments whatsoever but there are a few things we have to take care of before we can start decorating for fall, retire the lawn mower and/or plan a winter holiday.

As mentioned last week, I am not a great believer in cleaning perennial beds until spring arrives. Dead stems and leaves provide your perennials with a little extra winter protection - perhaps not all that much but with Ottawa winters, every little bit counts. However, annual beds – plant, fruit and vegetable ones alike – have to (as in “must”, “obligation” and “mandatory”) be cleaned after you have harvested your crops. Remove all dead plant material (preferably dispose of it in the proper manner: the compost bin is a far better choice than the garbage bag), perform a soil test and add whatever is missing to your soil for a good start next year. Don’t be put off by the term “soil test”; it is nowhere close to rocket science or the demands of being a housewife. Most garden centers sell soil test kits at very reasonable prices and they are easy to use. Simply gather some soil from your garden, add a little water, shake – don’t stir – your mixture (if James Bond prefers his Martinis that way, then we should treat our soil with the same respect), stick in the test strips, wait 30 seconds and voila, your results are in!

It goes without saying these affordable analysis kits do not provide you with great scientific results as to the complete and complex mineral content of your soil, but they do give you a decent inkling as to pH level (alkaline vs. acid) as well as to levels of the three main nutrients that plants need: Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium, referred to as N, P, K on fertilizer packaging material.

In order to quickly recap previous columns: Nitrogen promotes new, green growth and is especially important for plants that almost solely consist of leaves – grass and lettuce, to name but two. Unfortunately, rain has a horrible tendency to wash out Nitrogen which is why you will have to forever fertilize your lawn. Phosphorus promotes root development and thus helps to increase the amount of flowers and/or fruit a plant bears whereas Potassium assists in promoting the overall health of a plant. The comparison may sound silly but Potassium is not all that far off from the multivitamin, Echinacea or Vitamin C supplement you take in order to make it through winter without falling prey to colds and ‘flus. Different plants have different needs, so it pays off to plan next year’s crop and fertilize accordingly.

If you are proud of your lawn and you would like (next season) for it to be in the same great shape it was this year, this would be a good time to prepare it for winter. Remove any perennial weeds (dandelions and the likes of them) by digging them out or - if you must – by applying herbicides. Although dead leaves are a great source of nutrients and winter protection for your perennial borders, they should not be left on a lawn over the winter. Decomposing leaves will smother your grass, adding to the general state of disrepair it will no doubt be in once the snow melts; leaving them on your lawn can therefore be labelled as a “bad idea”. Rake ‘em, add ‘em to your beds or your compost bin and your lawn will be one step closer to perfection!

Being a professional gardener, I am glad to inform you that different rules apply to yours truly – gloat, gloat - which is why I get to use a leaf vac (one step up from a leaf blower) that enables me to suck up leaves, mulch them (at a 10:1 ratio) and use the residue as a great organic fertilizer. It must have something to do with growing up in a country where fall (and its accompanying storms) last from September until at least Christmas, but I have never understood the significance of a leaf blower. With all due respect to the people who manufacture them as well as to the people who use them, in my humble opinion all they do is blow leaves around. True, you can aim for a certain spot to collect the culprits that have devoured your lawn but once you have round them up into a nice pile, then what? Is the pile supposed to stay there and behave until by some divine intervention, it disappears, or is it allowed to disintegrate just a wee bit and deposit its content back into your garden at the first sign of a fall storm?

If you grow roses, you should stop deadheading the spent blooms towards the end of the month. Deadheading – as well as fertilizing – promotes new growth and that is precisely what we do not want. Instead, let whatever flowers are left form rose hips thus allowing the plants to complete their natural growth cycle. Once the rose hips have appeared, you can – if you so desire - prune the plants but be sure not to take off too much. The tips of rose stems tend to fall prey to frost damage and if you have shortened them too much before winter strikes, the actual plant might become jeopardized. It pays off to put some protection around the base of roses (compost, straw, burlap) but don’t wait too long before removing it in spring.

Once you have completed your chores, it is time for some “tool and equipment TLC”. If you use a gas-powered lawn mower (or chainsaw, hedge trimmer), make sure to empty its gas tank before storing it for the winter. Failing to do so will inevitably result in a repair bill next spring! Also, make sure your equipment is dry and clean before storing it. The same goes for hand tools such as shovels and rakes; clean them, dry them and have a can of WD40 (or any other lubricant) handy. Secateurs (pruning shears) and hedge clippers should be sterilized (actually, you should do this every time after you have used them in order to reduce the risk of spreading disease and fungal infections around). Most pharmacies sell small bottles of rubbing alcohol and for two or three bucks you can prevent a lot of misery from happening. Containers, pots and whatever else you may come across on your deck or patio should be emptied and cleaned – unless you use them for perennials or shrubs, in which case they should be stored indoors.

Apply winter protection (burlap) to evergreens, especially if they are located in locations that are exposed to wind. Although conifers such as Juniper and Taxus are hardy in our area, icy winds can damage their needles; often resulting in brown spots the next year. Also protect low-growing hedges (evergreen as well as deciduous) by staking them and covering them with burlap. This will reduce the risk of damage caused by the weight of snow sitting on top of them.

Oops, almost forgot; if you grow Dahlias, Begonias or Gladioli in your borders, dig them up now and store them indoors in a cool, dark spot. It is always a bit tricky to prevent bulbs and tubers from rotting but individually wrapping them in old newspapers helps to soak up any moisture that is trapped inside them and enhances their chances of making it through winter. Unfortunately, success is not guaranteed – regardless of the paper to which you subscribe…

Speaking of Begonias; earlier this week I received a question about whether or not they can be divided. Luckily, tuberous Begonias are very forgiving when it comes to dividing and the risk of killing them in the process is very low. The best time to go about it, though, is spring. Once new growth (the “eyes”) appears on the tuber, you can divide it and plant the cuttings in the same way you normally plant your tubers. In order to prevent the risk of disease or fungus coming in through the cut surfaces, you can dust these with a fungicide before planting. Furthermore, and this applies to any plant, always ensure the tool you use to divide the plant with is sharp. A nice, clean cut is far better than hacking away at the plant with a dull knife or shovel.

Well, I believe this completes my list; if I can think of anything else, I will make sure to include it in next week’s column. Until then, happy gardening!

René Trim

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About René
René Trim was educated and trained in The Netherlands, before moving to Canada in 2000. After studying the differences in climate and season faced by Ontario gardeners he established Trim Garden Design and Rescue in May 2002. A gardener since the 1980’s, he has a wealth of knowledge and experience, a vast library of reference materials from which to draw answers to various garden situations as well as an enthusiastic and professional staff.