Fall planting tips

Linn County Master Gardener, Claire Smith, offered the following advice for fall planting:

      The old apple tree, very, very old, collapsed in a spring wind storm.  Saturday we cut down the maple tree in the water way by the house.  I made a poor choice in planting it there.  The poor little guy tried to tough it out, but his feet were constantly just too wet and he was dying a slow death. 

     We're tree huggers so both will be replaced.  Plan one is to replace the apple tree with three trees locating them closer to the property line. Spacing them to complement the neighbor's five will create an attractive privacy row for both of us.  Plan two is to relocate a tree upstream and a bit of a distance away from the waterway.  We'll be making a trip or two to our favorite garden centers to find healthy trees on sale.  Just a word of caution:  balled and burlapped trees and container grown trees do well with fall planting.  Follow directions when planting.  Do water the tree(s)  well when planting, keep the soil moist and do check for moisture even during the winter.  Bare root trees will probably suffer too much stress and not over winter. 

     While shopping for trees-and if my helpers' patience will hold out, we'll snatch up some perennials, too.  Retailers slash prices for the simple reason that they have no way to store them through the winter.  Perennials can be successfully planted up to six weeks prior to the first killing frost.

Remember to avoid disfigured plants, those with spots on the leaves or pest infested.  Perennials should not be fertilized until spring but do need watering until frost.  If you're not in a spending mode, transplant.  Lots of Iris and Hosta will be finding new homes around this yard yet this week.  

      October is a great time to plant bulbs.  The bulbs should be firm, free of mold/mildew and still have most of their brown papery skin.  Your new bulbs will also need watering until the ground freezes.  Bulbs can be fertilized on planting.

      Although it's nearly time to think of putting the gardens to bed, there's still time to work in the yard with new or transplanted varieties. If you have questions or concerns about any gardening issues or how to do them, call the Master Gardener Horticulture Hotline at 319-447-0647. When the snowflakes are falling, you will appreciate all the time you had to enjoy this wonderful fall weather.