Fall Garden Hacks 2024

Garden Friend - I thought you might like to read my recent garden article that ran in The Denver Post on fall garden hacks.

Link to The Denver Post article, click HERE. The full article is below. 

 

Try propagating clematis by using the trench layering technique. (Betty Cahill / Special to the Denver Post)

By Betty Cahill | Special to The Denver Post

PUBLISHED: October 8, 2024

An endless summer season in Colorado means that fall outdoor gardening continues. Until the rake is needed, here are three unique and thrifty suggestions that might come in handy.

Begin new plant starts

1. Layering plants is the term for propagating existing, growing plants in the landscape or in your house. Fall is a good time to layer outdoor plants, so they’ll grow into new plants over the winter months. This method can also be started in the spring.

Layering can be done on different vines and shrubs with flexible branches like spirea, forsythia and fruit vines. For house plants, try layering with croton, dracaena, schefflera and more. Legally, this should only be done on plants that are not patented, such as old-time varieties that have been in the public domain for many years.

There are different ways to layer plants. For vines such as clematis, try easy trench layering in which individual vines are carefully laid down in a two-inch deep furrow to grow new plants. The vine (or vines if doing two or more in different directions) can be as long as you need for the space starting at eight or so inches. Carefully remove the leaves, lay down the leafless vine and cover the trench with soil and mulch, then water the area well.

Next spring, new plants should take root from where the leaves were removed along the vines that were trench layered in the fall.

Another similar method to grow a new vine is to bury a small nursery container up to the ground level with soil, and then instead of trenching, place the vine over the container. Be sure a removed leaf node is over the container. Cover with soil and mulch as described above. Next spring, dig up the container. The original attached vine segment can easily be cut away if needed. The new clematis start can be planted elsewhere in the garden or shared with a friend.

Keep track of newly planted bulbs

2. Wine corks, of all things can have another use outdoors. Simply poke the cork onto the end of knitting needles which are inexpensive and easy to find at garage sales if more are needed. Use a permanent marker on the cork and place where newly planted fall bulbs are located for easy location and identification next spring.

 

Get your poinsettia back in Christmas form

3. If you kept a poinsettia from last year, early October is the time to coax it back to blooming for the holidays. This is activity requires devoted daily attention.

Bring the plant indoors if it was outside over the summer. Give it a spray with insecticidal soap if insects are suspected, but throw it out if if is overly infected or diseased.

The plant must be placed in absolute darkness for fourteen hours a night for two continuous months. Set your alarm on your phone or another device. There cannot be nearby light, reflections, or streetlights; the plant requires complete blackness. Forgetting for one night or more can make the difference between success and failure.

Some people use a never-opened closet during this time or a box to cover the plant entirely. A black plastic bag works too. Poke narrow sticks in the soil to hold up the plastic to prevent crushing the leaves. At 6 p.m., or the time that works best for you, place the plant in that dark location and then return the plant to daylight at 8 a.m. (or 14 hours later). The plant should be kept evenly moist and fertilized every couple of weeks.

By mid-November, the bracts, which are the modified leaves of the plant that we view as flowers, should start to show color. Do not stop the schedule of dark and light — continue until early December when the bracts should be enlarged and fully colored. At this stage, pat yourself on the back and place your beauty in a sunny area of the house to enjoy. Try to maintain cooler temperatures for the best bloom and water regularly.

Did you save your poinsettia from last winter? Now is the time to start coaxing it back to blooming so bracts, or flowers, will be present at Christmastime. (Betty Cahill / Special to the Denver Post)

Read more

How to Rebloom your Poinsettia, canr.msu.edu/news/how_to_rebloom_your_holiday_poinsettia

Layering Propagation for the Home Gardener, extension.okstate.edu/fact-sheets/layering-propagation-for-the-home-gardener.html

 

By Betty Cahill | Special to The Denver Post

 Betty Cahill speaks and writes about gardening in the Rocky Mountain Region.

Fall Lawn TLC 2024

Garden Friend - I thought you might like to read my recent garden article that ran in The Denver Post on fall lawn TLC.

Link to The Denver Post article, click HERE. The full article is below.

It cannot be said often enough that to grow a healthy lawn, it is all about providing consistent, appropriate care that can help in preventing problems. (Betty Cahill, Special to The Denver Post)

By Betty Cahill | Special to The Denver Post

PUBLISHED: October 1, 2024

This year has seen an uptick in turf-related projects along the Front Range and elsewhere in Colorado. From putting in native and water-thrifty plants or replacing lawn turf with more drought-tolerant grass varieties or replacing the lawn with clover, there are options to consider, depending on the desired outcome.

For dead lawn areas due to pet or pest damage, watering issues or fungus, overseeding with a similar and more drought-tolerant grass seed is the least expensive and less strenuous way to bring a positive lawn result. (Betty Cahill, Special to The Denver Post)

Conserving water and attracting pollinators seem to be the top reasons for these projects. Decades ago, there were just a few Colorado gardeners and landscape professionals who were espousing using plants and practices more suited to our dry, sun-drenched landscapes — techniques that differed from the popular norm of wall-to-wall turf grass. We thank them for their sagacity, because they stayed the course and proved that more ecologically oriented landscapes can be both resourceful and beautiful places where we want to spend time.

Does this mean the backyard lawns that host fun with kids and dogs should go away? Not at all. Grass lawns remain a viable and practical mass groundcover solution for many homeowners and certainly for our valued public city parks, stadiums and other areas. Nothing wrong with having both: a manageable lawn space to walk on while having your morning coffee plus natural places in the landscape where there is close viewing of colorful and beneficial insect and bird activity as they dart and dine on plants that make us happy.

Now that fall has officially arrived after a very hot, dry summer, it is easy to see that the lawn might need some TLC and attention before cold weather arrives and stays.

To better understand your lawn type, whether you have a cool or warm season lawn, go to bit.ly/4gJ4o28 to read about lawn basics. I also covered full lawn renovation at bit.ly/3ZZMXo7. Clover lawns will be covered at a future date.

It cannot be said often enough that to grow a healthy lawn, it is all about providing consistent, appropriate care that can help in preventing problems. Here are three cool-season fall lawn-care tips that will improve the lawn in the short and long term.

Head to your local independent garden center and pick up seeds that match your sunlight and growing conditions. (Betty Cahill, Special to The Denver Post)

1.  For dead lawn areas due to pet or pest damage, watering issues or fungus, overseeding with a similar and more drought-tolerant grass seed is the least expensive and less strenuous way to bring a positive lawn result. Seeding can thicken up older existing lawns that may be thinned out from summer activity and too much shade.

Get going now because grass seed can take several days to a week or more to germinate and begin growing. Head to your local independent garden center and pick up seeds that match your sunlight and growing conditions.

Aerating the lawn and bare areas first with a lawn service or your own pitchfork or hand aerator allows grass seeds to go directly into the root areas for better germination. Flag sprinkler heads so they won’t be damaged by machinery.

Lawn aeration is one of the most beneficial fall tasks that result in improved grass root growth and reduction in thatch, the layer of decomposing roots and stems that leads to less water penetration and shallow grass rooting.

Water the lawn well a day or two prior to aerating. Poke many holes in the area so lots of seeds go into lots of holes. Fertilizing the lawn after seeding is helpful to turf health, along with top dressing the seeded area and entire lawn with a half-inch layer of compost, not too thick. Be sure to water the seeded, fertilized and top-dressed areas well and keep the seeds moist with daily watering.

Dried leaves are considered garden treasures by those in the know. Try mowing them into the lawn. (Betty Cahill, Special to The Denver Post)

Continue regular watering of existing lawns, trees, shrubs and plants until at least mid-October instead of stopping in September. As temperatures fall and become consistently lower than 70 degrees, reduce watering days but not sprinkler run times. Regular watering helps plants go into a healthy dormancy.

2. Weeds in lawns and surrounding areas put on deep growth in the fall to get them through the winter, so get a jump on next year’s weeds and remove them now. Hand dig or spot treat.

3.  Fallen leaves left on lawns for months is not recommended. Not only can they be slippery when wet, but they also smother lawns leading to more issues in the spring, plus leaves hide animal waste.

Dried leaves are considered garden treasures by those in the know. Try mowing them into the lawn. When making several mowing passes over the lawn dried leaves leave little bits of themselves which will only break down further over the winter and add valuable organic matter and nutrients to the soil. Dried leaves can also be mowed and bagged for use in exposed soil locations such as vegetable or annual beds to reduce soil erosion and provide protection as a winter “bed.” Use leaves as mulch around perennials and new plantings. Dried leaves make excellent additions to compost piles.

By Betty Cahill | Special to The Denver Post

Betty Cahill speaks and writes about gardening in the Rocky Mountain Region.

 

Fall Garden Chores 2024

Garden Friend - I thought you might like to read my recent garden article that ran in The Denver Post on fall landscape to dos.

Link to The Denver Post article, click HERE. The full article is below.

Peonies can grow in the same location for many years if they are happy with the location, sun and are not overly crowded. (Betty Cahill, Special to The Denver Post)

By Betty Cahill | Special to The Denver Post

PUBLISHED: September 21, 2024

As we close in on the fall equinox, it looks like the hot summer of 2024 might be waning. But I would not bet the farm on warm temperatures going away entirely. September and October have yin and yang weather. One day it might be in the 80s; the next day snow.

Since you’re already outside harvesting fruits, vegetables and herbs, might as well add these fall garden chores to the daily garden fun.

The best bulb quality and selection is on store shelves is now; if you wait too long, whatever is left unsold generally goes on sale. (Betty Cahill, Special to The Denver Post)

Bulbs: The two most common and must-do fall errands are to shop for spring bulbs and plant before the Halloween decorations go up; otherwise they’ll dry out and shrivel like the scary witch display. The best bulb quality and selection is on store shelves is now; if you wait too long, whatever is left unsold generally goes on sale. Promise yourself to plant the bargain bulbs before mashing the potatoes on Thanksgiving Day.

Perennials: Next, while you’re shopping for bulbs check out the sales aisle and pick up bargain perennials, trees and shrubs.

New fall plants appreciate the long cooler weeks to put down roots so that next year they are ready to take off and do their thing. Sale plants might be rootbound in the container, so be sure to “tease” or rough up the roots. In some cases, you may need to use sharp scissors or a knife and make cuts through circling roots. This method, along with teasing and roughing up, helps the plant grow new roots into the surrounding soil.

New evergreen trees and shrubs planted in the fall will need your utmost care and attention over the winter since they continue to transpire. That is, move water through their green needles (leaves), (Rread more on winter watering below.)

Divide: Next up is plant dividing, so next year they’ll have a huge head start. The plants will look like they belonged in their new location all along.

Some of the best plants to fall divide include spring and early summer blooming perennials like peony, columbine, salvia, catmint, daylilies, daisies, coreopsis and bee balm. Wait until spring to divide and replant late-summer perennials and fall bloomers like asters, mums, bachelor’s button, goldenrod, and more.

Water established plants a day or two before dividing or moving so the roots stay together better for the move.

Peonies can grow in the same location for many years if they are happy with the location, sun and are not overly crowded. Fall dividing or moving peonies is sometimes necessary. This is not difficult to do. However, there are some important tips to follow.

First, cut off the top green growth to near ground level. If the entire peony plant is dug up and moved, try to get all the roots and replant them at the same depth in its new location.

When dividing, look at the crown of the plant and notice the pinkish buds (or eyes). Use a knife to divide the plant so there are at least three buds or more in each division that will be replanted.

Plant divided peonies close to the surface, only 1 to 1 1/2 inches deep, and cover the buds with 1 inch of soil. Be sure to water well and mulch after transplanting. Remember that peonies bloom best in sunny locations, and transplants may take a season or two to rebloom.

Take stem cuttings, also called slips, while annuals are still growing for new plants next year. Cut healthy 6-inch or so growth from geranium plants, plucking the lowest leaves, and place in small containers with fresh potting soil. (Betty Cahill, Special to The Denver Post)

Annuals: Why say goodbye forever to summer annuals in a few weeks? Take stem cuttings, also called slips, while plants are still growing for new plants next year. Cut healthy 6-inch or so growth from geranium plants, plucking the lowest leaves, and place in small containers with fresh potting soil. Using a rooting hormone (sold in garden centers) on the section planted in soil is helpful but not required. Place the cuttings in bright light and keep plants moist. Also take cuttings from coleus, fibrous begonias, sweet potato vine and place in water until rooted, then pot up into containers with potting soil and grow as houseplants near a sunny window or under indoor lights.

Watering: One fall and winter task that is often overlooked is the need for landscape plant fall and winter watering when natural moisture is not around or lacking, as is often the case in Colorado. Just because the calendar may say it is fall or winter does not mean that plants cease needing our watering attention once the sprinkler system is turned off or hoses are stored. Simply said: Plant roots that dry out will eventually die out.

The most important plants to continue watering all fall and through the winter into spring are the newest plants that went in this immediate past spring, summer and now, fall. This is across all categories — trees, shrubs and perennials — and includes plants that are water-wise so will need less water once their roots are established.

Keep records and create reminders if needed to check on these newer plantings and keep them moist, not sopping wet. A good 2 to 3 inch layer of mulch is helpful to keep them moist and can help prevent plants from the back and forth of freezing and thawing when temperature swings occur.

Evidence of environmental stress like scorched leaves, early leaf drop and early color changes on lindens, maples and other trees are hard to ignore. (Betty Cahill, Special to The Denver Post)

Landscape trees, new and mature, are our most valuable landscape assets. They are continuously being stressed, and often look it every summer into fall from lack of natural moisture and purposeful watering. Evidence of environmental stress like scorched leaves, early leaf drop and early color changes on lindens, maples and other trees are hard to ignore. These manifested stressors often are accompanied by pest or disease issues. If stressed trees could talk to us, they would say, “Hey, I need help, too. I’m parched and mostly ignored.”

Check to see that trees are getting moisture down in the root zone to a depth of one foot. Avoid overwatering all at once to compensate for lack of summer and previous year-round watering.

Mature tree roots extend far beyond the drip line through the landscape and into lawns and borders so keep in mind that if nearby landscape changes have been made such as removing or replacing turf, water needs for trees have not changed.

The bottom line is no one has a crystal ball to know the amount of rain or snow we’ll receive the rest of this year and next year. The best we can do is give our plants the care they require all year long.

Betty Cahill is a freelance writer who specializes in gardening in the Rocky Mountain Region.

 

Fall Vegetable Planting 2024

Garden Friend - I thought you might like to read my recent garden article that ran in The Denver Post about seeding fall vegetables.

Link to The Denver Post article, click HERE. The full article is below.

A good way to seed leafy greens is to create planting areas by pushing aside about a half inch or less of soil, like creating a very shallow crater. (Betty Cahill, Special to The Denver Post)

By Betty Cahill | Special to The Denver Post

PUBLISHED: September 7, 2024

They say successful comedians have the best timing. The same goes when seeding fall crops. Along the Colorado Front Range, we typically rely on mid-October as the first possible frost date. Using this timeline means there is a short window to plant right now.

Focus on cool-season vegetables that will sprout quickly in warm soil. They like to grow in cooler temperatures and can be harvested starting in a few weeks. Once they are up and growing well, it is fairly easy to cover them with frost blankets or sheets on cooler autumn days and nights so the harvest can continue well into fall.

Fall seed packets will list the window of days in which seeds emerge and when they mature; look for short, 30-day growers, give or take. (Betty Cahill, Special to The Denver Post)

Use seeds on hand or visit your local garden center to buy what looks good to you and the family. The seed packet will list the window of days in which seeds emerge and when they mature; look for short, 30-day growers, give or take.

The easiest, quick-maturing cool crops include lettuce, spinach, arugula, kohlrabi, green onions, kale, broccoli raab, Swiss chard, carrots and radishes. Also consider mustard greens, mizuna, collard greens, beets and salad turnips, which can be harvested when small (radish size) in about 40 days.

There are so many crops to choose from and only so much space, so remember that you can use empty containers; they are wonderful for fall crops and can easily be moved inside when nights are frigid.

For a warm crop, try seeding basil even though a plant may not grow up to six sets of leaves before frost. Because soils are warm, they should grow beyond the tiny microgreen stage if seeded immediately. Use the tasty young leaves in salads, on tomatoes and in sauces. (Do you know what food goes well with basil? Almost anything but oatmeal!)

Tuck in seeds wherever there is room in the landscape or vegetable area. Try the shady side of taller crops like tomatoes and pole beans as long as they receive at least four or more hours of sun a day. This location keeps the plants cooler late in the day.

As always, make sure the soil is loose and crumbly with no large clods so the roots can grow and get established. Leafy crops are high nitrogen feeders, so add a handful or two of compost or a light sprinkle of fertilizer into the soil if the area hasn’t been used in a while or recently grew crops.

My favorite way to seed leafy greens is to create planting areas by pushing aside about a half inch or less of soil, like creating a very shallow crater. Sprinkle seeds of your choice (lettuce, spinach, arugula, kale, etc.) in the space. Do not worry about seed spacing; they can be thinned later or not. The goal is getting the greens up and growing. Then take the moved-away soil and gently cover the seeds. They don’t need a thick layer to sprout.

Lacinato kale grown in a raised bed in the fall. (Betty Cahill, Special to The Denver Post)

Water with a light hose spray so the seeds are not displaced. Use this same planting method in containers.

Other non-leafy crops — including green onions, kohlrabi, radish and broccoli raab — can be planted in rows or squares as usual.

Since hot temperatures continue in September, it is important to keep seeded areas moist, not soggy, so they may need watering twice or more a day. The best-tasting leafy green plants are harvested when they are small (baby greens) and not fully mature. Use scissors and cut a few of the outer leaves first, not all, because you want the plant to continue growing.

Season extenders allow for extra fall growing days and extended harvesting. Consider putting in place tunnels or cold frames where sheets or row covers can quickly be attached. Most of the cool-season crops can easily tolerate nights in the 40s but will need to be covered when nights are in 30s and near freezing.

Check out my handy tunnel videos (below) from a few years back; they are still applicable.

Resources

Easy Hoop Houses, Part I youtube.com/watch?v=aFN9ldnwsNw

Easy Hoop Houses, Part II youtube.com/watch?v=B4YtOpXdgiQ

Time to Seed Fall Vegetables https://planttalk.colostate.edu

 

  

Betty Cahill speaks and writes about gardening in the Rocky Mountain Region.

Summer Garden Insects 2024

Garden Friend - I thought you might like to read my recent garden article that ran in The Denver Post about summer garden insects good and bad.

Link to The Denver Post article, click HERE. The full article is below.

How to identify common Denver garden pests - but some insects provide natural pest control

This sweat bee is a beneficial insect and is very pretty. (Betty Cahill / Special to the Denver Post)

By Betty Cahill | Special to The Denver Post

PUBLISHED: August 27, 2024

In late August, there is a vast assortment of insect action in our gardens, and it is worth a listen and a watch to see what is happening.

The cicadas are unmistakable with their daily continuous choir of crooning. There are also insects, bugs and spiders afoot, and depending on your barometer for squeamishness, it is not a bad idea to consider whether the crawler or flyer is worth a swat, the spray of death or a free pass to carry on. Walk with me in my garden clogs to see some of the live action and learn how to manage your visitors.

A metallic green bee stands out in any buzzing crowd. I first noticed its iridescent qualities in June and most of the summer. A quick lookup in the book “Garden Insects of North America” by Colorado State University Emeritus entomologist Dr. Whitney Cranshaw confirmed it is an Agapostemon spp. bee. Its common name is sweat bee, although these particular green bees are more focused on gathering pollen and nectar from many garden plants in bloom than from perspiring gardeners.

Fortunately, this good-looking bee slowed down a bit on a coreopsis flower for me to snap a photo. They are ground nesting bees and dig deep nests in areas with flat or sloping soil, and can be solitary or nest in underground communities with other Agapostemons. No swatting or spraying is needed, because this is a good bee, a welcome insect in any garden.

The leaf-footed bug is not a garden friend, so squish it on sight. (Betty Cahill / Special to the Denver Post)

On first glance, I thought this next bug seemed like it might be a good bug — perhaps a predator of an insect that was chewing a plant that shouldn’t be chewed. I was hoping he liked grasshoppers. He wasn’t camera shy while resting on the side of a patio container.

A photo text to a couple of garden friends led to the correct identification. He wasn’t a good guy assassin bug, but rather a bad guy leaf-footed bug (Leptoglossus clypealis) that was probably nibbling on some nearby developing tomatoes. If you check out this fact sheet from The University of California, ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74168.html, you will see photos of this nuisance bug in all life stages. I know without a doubt I’ve seen leaf-footed bug eggs and nymphs in our garden. I’m not too worried about ongoing fruit damage, but I’ll keep an eye out for group feeding and be ready to squish them on sight.

Joining in the musical insect summer chorus are impressive, broad-winged, bright green katydids (Microcentrum rhombifolium). Males use their forewings as instruments to make low, raspy trilling and clicking sounds nightly to attract a mate or stake out its territory. 

The traditional katy-did-katy-didn’t hum is more common to East Coast katydids. When found in Colorado gardens, usually on foliage that blends so well with the katydid, a second look is needed to confirm these two-inch, tall-bodied distinguished insects. Their camouflage helps them hide from predator birds, bats, other insects and rodents. 

If you find one, just admire it and consider katydids another insect of nature’s fine creation that just wants to chew on plant leaves (without causing too much damage) and live for a while. Read more about Colorado katydids at webdoc.agsci.colostate.edu/bspm/Hexapoda%20(Insects)/Broadwinged%20Katydid.pdf.

Katydids are green insects that blend with foliage and do no harm in the garden. (Betty Cahill / Special to the Denver Post)

Without a doubt, the fast-moving quarter-inch spotted cucumber beetle pest caused distress to my summer yellow squash plants and me a couple of years ago. They just appeared one day in mid-summer and decided not to leave, multiplying faster than adult Japanese beetles on grapevine leaves. I had difficulty controlling them with organic sprays. 

Following that, my hair pulling led to pulling the plants entirely because they were feeding everywhere on the plant leaves, petals, fruit and pollen. Spotted cucumber beetles can feed on several different crops including cucumber, muskmelon, watermelon, pumpkins, squash and gourds.

Spotted cucumber beetle is destructive to cucurbit crops in the vegetable garden. (Betty Cahill / Special to the Denver Post)

It is important to clean up garden plant debris every fall so there aren’t places for pest insects to overwinter. Also, rotate crops and use floating row covers to keep pests out early in the season. However, remove the cloth when flowers are in bloom to allow them to be pollinated. 

There are cucumber beetle and other cucurbit-resistant varieties to plant, so do your homework when purchasing seeds — pest resistance should be listed in the description or on the package.

Adult lady beetles eat many pest insects in the garden. (Betty Cahill / Special to the Denver Post)

Every gardener eventually learns that ladybugs, also called lady beetles, are wonderful insect friends to have and protect in the garden. Their black spots vary in number depending on variety and their wing covers vary from bright orange to red. More than 80 species of lady beetles are found in Colorado, of which 70 are native. A single lady beetle can consume thousands of pest aphids, scale insects, mites and pest eggs in its brief lifetime. With their chewing mouth parts, both the adult and larva (or grub) life stages are beneficial as predator insects.

For lady beetles to find your garden, there needs to be pests for them to consume, so naturally there can be a lag time from when pest outbreaks occur to when they show up and start devouring the pests. The best advice is to live with the brief period of aphid outbreaks until they show up. Use a heavy spray of water on the aphids until the beetles arrive.

Learn to identify lady beetle life stages too. In their larva or grub stage they can eat scores of aphids in an hour. Larvae resemble miniature black-red or black-orange alligators. They look rather mean, but they are do-gooders for pest control so keep them around all summer. Lady beetles also feed on pollen and nectar, especially before their winter hibernation, so grow plants with small flowers like dill, yarrow and butterfly weed for them to easily access. Learn more at extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/insects/lady-beetles-5-594/.

Lady beetle larvae eat many pest insects in the garden. (Betty Cahill / Special to the Denver Post)

As with most pest and disease concerns in gardens, the first step is to identify the problem and thoroughly work out the best solution. Many issues can be resolved without any intervention. Sprays, even organic ones, often have unintended consequences and can harm beneficial insects and pollinators along with the pests. 

There is generally a natural balance between pest and beneficial insects. Unfortunately, pest insects that normally do not live in Colorado, but somehow make their way here, thrive without natural predator insects to keep them in check, often resulting in serious plant damage and losses. The emerald ash borer and Japanese beetles are prime examples — but that’s a topic for another article.

 

Betty Cahill speaks and writes about gardening in the Rocky Mountain Region.