Some fall tips for your outdoor space
As the days grow shorter and temperatures begin to cool down, plan to spend some time outside enjoying our beautiful weather and get your outdoor space ready for that inevitable first freeze.
In central Oklahoma this will happen about Halloween or in early November.
If you still have tropical houseplants outside, plan to keep an eye on predicted temperatures and bring them in once night temperatures begin to fall below 50 F.
It’s a good idea to check houseplants for any pests, such as aphids or spider mites, which they may have attracted while outside this summer. You could spray with a product labeled for houseplant pests before bringing the plants in.
For a simple, safe, homemade spray to help treat houseplants for insect pests before bringing them indoors, add 3 tablespoons of dish soap and 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil to a gallon of water. Add to your sprayer, shake well and spray foliage before you bring them inside.
If houseplants have become root bound over the summer, you could transplant to a slightly bigger container before bringing them in. Don’t transplant to a much larger container since this can cause root rot and use a high quality potting soil.
Fall is for planting, so continue to plant trees and shrubs this month. If you are looking for trees to give your landscape fall interest, now is the perfect time to purchase trees from nurseries and garden centers to select the fall color you prefer.
Plant cool-season annuals like pansies, ornamental cabbage or kale, snapdragons and hardy mums. Also begin to plant spring-flowering bulbs like hyacinths, crocus and daffodils. Wait until the cooler weather of November to plant tulips. Many perennials can be planted at this time.
Dig and store tender perennials like dahlias and caladiums in a cool, dry location.
If you have a vegetable garden, be sure to dig sweet potatoes and harvest pumpkins and winter squash before the first frost. Remove green fruit from tomato plants when frost threatens. There is still time to plant radishes and greens in the fall garden. Remove all debris from the garden to prevent overwintering of various garden pests. Plant cool-season cover crops like Austrian winter peas, wheat, clover and rye in otherwise fallow garden plots.
Mow and neatly edge warm-season lawns before a killing frost. You can continue to replant or establish cool-season lawns like fescue. Be sure to set your mowing height for fescue to about 2½ inches for fall and winter cutting.
Before we have hard freezes, be sure to unhook garden hoses from outdoor faucets to prevent damage or pipes bursting.
As leaves begin to fall, gather and shred or mow them so you can recycle them rather than send them to the landfill. Add to compost, use as mulch or till into garden plots.
The OSU fact Sheet HLA 6448 “Backyard Composting in Oklahoma” is helpful and can be found at osufacts.okstate.edu or can be picked up at the Oklahoma County OSU Cooperative Extension Center, 2500 NE 63.