October around the house

This week I will continue my list of things to do in the fall along with a brief description of why, and I will mention a product or two that will help solve the issue.

Last week I wrote about large patch, sod webworms, rats, mice, amending flower beds and vegetable gardens, feeding the birds, and winterizing your grass with 00-00-25, Possum Minors, or SeaHume instead of the heavily advertized national name brand fertilizers that are designed for Fescue grass.

Bulbs are a great addition to the landscape. Look for big bulbs when purchasing bulbs. If you have two of the same variety of daffodil bulbs and one bulb is larger, the larger bulb will usually produce the larger flower when the bulb blooms. Be sure to fertilize your bulbs at planting (a tablespoon of 04-04-04 Sustane, 04-00-10, or 03-03-03) and after they bloom. After a daffodil blooms, spray the foliage with Messenger and let the foliage completely die to the ground. Messenger will help the leaves collect more sunlight and produce a bigger bulb for the next spring. As with most purchases, it is better to spend a little more up front and get what you want than save a little money and be unhappy with the results.

As the weather cools, mole damage is more visible. The grass grows slower, so any mole damage does not get repaired as fast as when the grass is actively growing. The mole’s food source is also deeper in the ground, meaning that a mole must displace more soil for a meal. Remember a mole eats 85 to 125 percent of its body weight everyday to stay alive, so he or she will be tunneling. Mole Patrol, Talprid, Mole Repellent, and Revenge Smoke Bombs should help keep this nasty pest out of your yard and in your neighbor’s yard.

The grass has slowed down and is transitioning to dormancy. Some herbicide labels recommend that you not use their product while the grass is in transition. The end user should always read the product’s label. The label supersedes any recommendation from anyone else.

Dormant oils and Neem oils are great to apply to kill overwintering insects and mites. The Neem oil will also control certain fungus diseases. Watch the weather to be sure it is not too hot or too cold to apply these products.

Always read, understand and follow product label. The product label is a Federal Law.