Bs YOUR LAWN COULD PROBABLY DO WITH SOME LOVING LIMING NOW Get out and garden to beat blues HELP! I’m drowning in a bad case of the November blahs. I try very hard to write an uplif- ting article, full of enthusiasm and encouregement, but this week has me stymied. It’s November for crying out loud (in a very literal sense), What § like to call the wet end of the year. The bright, colorful days of our indian summer are getting wash- ed away like a water color painting left out in the rain. Winter is too far away to hold any real hope of snow covering the whole mess up. What are we to do? Well here are just a few things for starters. Lawn Care — I usually recom- mend liming the lawn early in the spring and those of you who have only mildly acidic scils could wait until then. This will assure the best use of the micro-nutrients and soil sweeteners that dolomitic lime- stone can provide. Problem is, the environmental and climatic conditions in the Pacific Northwest create excessive- ly acid soils. If you are one of the unfortunates whose lawn is ex- tremely acid or you have not timed in several years, don’t wait for spr- ing — do it now. As always, use only dolomitic lime. If you are unsure as to just how bed cff you are, pick up an inex- pensive pH test kit at any garden centre and test your scil. A reading of 5.0 or lower would suggest an urgent need. Bo not be in a hurry to put the lawnmower away into storage. As I have stated on previous occa- sions, the longer the grass is kept over the winter, the more likely @ HYDROSTOP Water Sealer © Penetrates, seals, and waterproofs There‘s still lots to do before the snow falls you are to have problems with disease and moss. Rake up the leaves as they jall. If left on the ground for more than a few days, the turf will begin to die back. As we are at the end of the growing season, the only thing we can expect to appear in the boles created is moss. Although it is too late to feed the lawn with the high-nitrogen fertilizers used in the growing season, you could expect some benefit from a fall/winter for- mulation. Look for something with an NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) ratio of 3-15-6 or 6-9-18. Flower Beds — Your annuals should be long gone by now. If they are not, do it now because the decaying plants will only harbor next year’s bugs and disease prob- lems. Replace the bedding plants with winter pansies and/or flower- ing kale or cabbage. You should have finished plant- ing your fall bulbs by now. If not, do so before the end of the month. If you leave it any later, you risk short-lived displays or, possibly none at all. concrete, masonry, slate, and a variety of building materials. PROTECTS SURFACES FROM @ Salt Attack © Spalling © Efflorescence * Most Chemicals Whether you are or are not planting buibs, apply liberal amounts of bonemeal to your flower beds and work it into the soil. Bonemea! is the best organic source of phosphorus, potassium and calcium. The first two will produce strong roots and abundant fiower displays while the calcium sweetens the soil. Continue dividing and thinning your perennial plants over this month. Plants such as_ irises, peonies, day lilies, etc., will benefit if they are lifted and thinned peri- odically. Use the resources of your local library to help you with tim- ing and procedures for your par- ticular varieties. Vegetable Beds — Cleanliness is next to Godliness. If that’s true then Godliness must be pest-free because that’s what happens when you keep your vegetable garden clean. Don’t leave winter retreats for bugs and disease to hide away in. Remove old plants and any other debris in the area. Crops such as fall rye or vetch should be used to rejuvenate your garden. These ‘green manures’ will replenish the soils in your vegetable gardens with a needed supply of organic fibre. Sow vetch at the rate of one pound per 600 square feet and fall rye at one pound per 300 square feet. Once the ‘green manure’ crop has reached knee height, turn it in- to the soil and aliow it to compost in the ground. Adding bonemeal at an approximate rate of one pound per 150 square feet will round out the supply of nutrients and help to lower the acidity level. Once again, dolomite lime should be added now if your soil is excessively acid. If you plan to grow cauliflower, cabbage, broc- coli, Brussels sprouts, and/or kohlrabi, lime away. Doing so will help prevent the appearance of club root. Do not apply lime to those areas desig- nated for next year’s potatocs; do- ing so will promote the appearance of scab. Trees and Shrubs — Although get out there and shake it off be- fore the injury comes. Miscellaneous — Check out the fall sales in your local garden cen- tres and landscape supply stores. You might find that hedge or patio you have always wanted is only a fraction of the prices seen in spr- ing. over the garden gate major pruning is best left until January or early February, do not hesitate to tidy things up. Remove or diseased branches as you find them and prune your roses halfway to where they should be after the final spring pruning. Always try to. sterilize your pruning tools between cuts, especially in the case of disease. Pass the blade(s) of pruning tools through a flame to avoid transfer- ence to heaithy tissue. You should begin winterizing your trees and shrubs this month. Add a layer of mulch around the base of tender plants such as fat- sias and hardy fuchsias. Spray an antidesiccant on those broadleaved evergreens that are susceptible to frost burn and excessive wilting. Stake or tie up those plants that might suffer damage due to wet snow loads. Try to remember to Geoff Tobiasson If you have not started a com- post, now is the time. Every time you burn a few leaves, you are sending your best sources for organic soil amendments up in smoke. To say nothing of adding another pane to the greenhouse-as in ‘greenhouse effect.’ Bring the patio plants such as tree fuchsias and hibiscus inside. Over the next week, bring them in- te a cool room at night and leave them out for the day. This will lessen the harmful effects of dramatic climate changes. Now that feels better. Just knowing that I have pointed you towards a more beautiful, produc- tive and problem-free garden has cheered me right up. (Not to men- tion the thought of all of you out there in the pouring rain in rubber rain gear and boots). And sow it INTERLOCKING PAVERS LARGEST SHOWROOM DISPLAYING PAVING STONES IN BC. SUBCONTRACTING SERVICE AVAILABLE @ RETAINING WALL SYSTEMS PRECAST SYSTEMS USED RAILWAY TIES from 5.99 ea. PRESSURE TREATED 6X6 from 1.59 lin.ft. 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