Winter is approaching; plant growth slows; deciduous trees show colour and drop their leaves; weeds, pests and diseases decline.
Sow seeds or plant seedlings of broad beans, peas and spinach.
Protect vege seedlings from slugs and snails with slug and snail bait.
Protect winter brassica crops from caterpillars, aphids and fungal disease with Success Ultra + EnSpray 99 + Free Flo Copper.
Protect citrus trees from sucking insects and disease with FreeFlo Copper + EnSpray 99.
It’s a great time to plant new citrus and feijoa trees. Prepare the planting hole with compost and add a controlled release fertiliser.
Plant garlic now through to July. Use the cloves of corms from a certified supply, not from shop-purchased corms which have been treated to prevent sprouting.
Plant shallots now – easy to grow and use little space in the garden.
Fill vacant garden beds, especially in the vege garden, with a green crop. Use lupin to fix nitrogen ahead of growing leafy greens; mustard reduces soil pathogens and is quick (40 days) if the space is required for the next crop; oats and barley improve soil structure. Or grow all three together. Purchase individually or as a mix from your garden centre.
Apply thick layers of pea straw to bed down the garden for winter. Scatter blood and bone on the ground first which will replenish the nitrogen lost as the straw breaks down.
Rhubarb performs best when well fed so plant into free draining soil that is enriched with compost, sheep pellets, blood and bone, and top dress at regular intervals with general garden fertiliser.
Prune the fruited stems of blackberries and raspberries down to the ground.
Give stone fruit trees a clean-up spray with FreeFlo Copper + EnSpray 99 at 50% leaf fall and again at full leaf fall for future control of leaf curl and insects.
For late winter and early spring colour, plant seedlings of calendula, cineraria, stock, pansies, violas, wallflowers, primulas, polyanthus and sweet peas. Water and feed with a liquid fertiliser for flowers for quick results and plenty of blooms.
Seedlings of polyanthus, primulas and pansies respond to a teaspoon of dried blood in the planting hole. Rich in readily available nitrogen and iron, it promotes lush growth and plentiful blooms.
Plant lilies from now to September in free draining soil enriched with compost and blood and bone or bulb fertiliser.
Protect flower seedlings from slugs and snails with slug and snail bait.
Cut off the old leaves of hellebores to ground level. Apply a sprinkling of lime and a handful of sheep pellets around the crown to feed the new leaves and flower buds.
Prepare garden beds for planting new roses, deciduous trees and shrubs, and fruit trees, with compost, blood and bone and dolomite lime before the soil becomes too wet.
Autumn is ideal to plant new trees, shrubs and perennials. Help them along by planting with planting mix and a controlled release fertiliser.
Choose and plant deciduous trees while they’re in full autumn colour.
New season’s daphne, camellias and rhododendrons arrive in stores this month. Plant with compost or planting mix and a controlled release fertiliser for the best start. Position daphne in the garden or a container, by the front door or patio to enjoy the fragrance from the house.
Sasanqua camellias are coming into flower now. This is the perfect time to buy and plant - see the flowers and colours before you buy!
Feed established daphnes, camellias, azaleas and rhododendrons with acid fertiliser, to green the leaves and support flourishing flowers.
Selectively prune back and thin out branches on trees and shrubs to allow more light and air to reach through. Pay particular attention to trees that overshadow the lawn where the winter shade may enhance the growth of moss. Where moss occurs, treat with sulphate of iron.
Give hedges a final trim and tidy before winter.
Give roses a clean-up spray with FreeFlo Copper + Enspray 99 for control of fungal diseases and insects.
Mature rose bushes may be covered with lichen or scale. Spray with lime sulphur to help defoliate the bush prior to winter and kill off both lichen and the scale insects.
New season roses will be in store late May /early June. Ask for a Rose Catalogue to choose your new varieties.
Purchase a supply of frost cloth for tender plants, to be ready at a moment’s notice of the first frosts. Check the weather online–if very little wind and temperatures 4 degrees or below are predicted, you need to cover. Completely drape the plants from top to toe and secure the frost cloth with weed mat staples or heavy objects such as stones or bricks.
Do a garden makeover –autumn is a great time to cut back and divide perennials, trim back trees from over-shadowing gardens, and put in new plants for winter and spring displays. If you’ve a garden that is looking tired, get stuck in and pull it apart, retaining only the plants that have done well and are worth keeping. Treat yourself to a visit to the garden centre for a few new shrubs and flowers.
If it didn’t get done last month, give the lawn a makeover by spraying for weeds with LawnGuard and feed the with lawn fertiliser to encourage a stronger root system and new growth. Treat any moss with sulphate of iron.
Reduce watering of houseplants and move them into warmer, brighter positions for winter. Flowering cyclamen will add colour to the living space during winter.
