The fall housekeeping in the garden continues in October, and cooler temperatures should make chores more pleasant.
The calendar for October reflects timely gardening and landscape maintenance activities. The specific date selected for each activity should fall within the optimum time frame for performing the suggested task. Because many procedures can be accomplished during a wide "window" and, because weather affects certain operations, these dates aren't absolute and are flexible enough to accommodate adjustments.
Oct. 1: To "re-bloom" your poinsettia or Christmas cactus, put the plant in complete darkness (a closet or a box) from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. each night. Provide good light conditions the rest of the day.
Oct. 2: If houseplants out-grew their containers during the summer, repot into the next larger size at this time.
Oct. 3: You may notice the inner needles on your pine tree simultaneously turning clear yellow and dropping off; this is most likely a normal shedding.
Oct. 4: Plant garlic cloves (pointed end up) at a spacing of 3 inches apart and 1 to 2 inches deep. Harvest next summer when most of the foliage has browned.
Oct. 5: Gradually remove shading compound from greenhouse covering. Disinfect benches, flats, pots and tools with a 10 percent chlorine bleach solution (1 part bleach to 9 parts of water).
Oct. 6: Harvest persimmons when they lose their "pucker power." Frost is not required for persimmon ripening. Use for pudding, cookies, cakes and custard.
Oct. 7: Bring your amaryllis plant inside before frost threatens - then withhold water to allow the bulb to enter dormancy; pot up and revive about two months later.
Oct. 8: Harvest green tomatoes when frost threatens, wrap individually in newspaper, and store in a dark location at 55 to 60 degrees. (Ripen as needed at 70 degrees.)
Oct. 9: Let popcorn mature on the stalk, then remove the husk and cure for 2 to 3 weeks in a warm, dry, well-ventilated area. Store shelled kernels in a sealed glass jar in the refrigerator.
Oct. 10: If fall foliage coloration is an important criteria for selecting trees and shrubs, select plants as they display their colors in the nursery.
Oct. 11: Clean out your martin house and prepare bird feeders for the winter season.
Oct. 12: Use a cold frame to overwinter pansies and small perennial plants.
Oct. 13: Today is the average date of our first 32-degree freeze in the fall (based on data from 1948 to 2004). Be prepared with tarpaulins/blankets/row covers to protect tender crops when frost threatens (or accept the end of the growing season and let nature run its course.)
Oct. 14: Harvest peanuts after a heavy frost completely destroys the tops.
Oct. 15: Mid-October is generally considered the cutoff for reliable seeding of cool season lawn grasses (bluegrass/fescue/ ryegrass) - but bluegrass or tall fescue sod can be reliably planted later (perhaps into early or mid-November).
Oct. 16: Dig cannas, dahlias, tuberose, calla lilies and gladioli for winter storage after they are nipped by frost - pack in dry sphagnum peat moss and store in a cool basement.
Oct. 17: Fertilize new lawns at one-half rate about a month after the grass comes up.
Oct. 18: Continue to plant spring flowering bulbs; start to plant tulips. Try a less common type like flowering onion (Allium) or Fritillaria.
Oct. 19: Spade or plow garden areas as crops are removed. Mix in lime or phosphate fertilizer if need is indicated by a soil test. Also turn under organic matter, such as compost.
Oct. 20: Pot up bulbs for "forcing" into bloom indoors (call the Shawnee County Extension Office at 232-0062 for more details).
Oct. 21: Mark and label your perennial flowers so you will know what is coming up where next spring.
Oct. 22: Clean up fallen fruit from beneath fruit trees to reduce disease potential - also remove shriveled "mummies" that are hanging in the trees.
Oct. 23: Wash windows to improve light conditions for indoor plants. It also helps to remove screens during the winter to let in more light.
Oct. 24: If you don't have a good place for houseplants near a window, rig up artificial light fixtures for this purpose. Cool white fluorescent tubes are adequate for most plants.
Oct. 25: Add fallen leaves to your compost pile. Note: A light layer of fallen leaves can be chopped up with a mulching mower and allowed to fall back onto established lawns, but keep fallen leaves off of new grass).
Oct. 26: Spray winter annual weeds like chickweed and henbit in established lawns.
Oct. 27: Plant seed of trees you wish to propagate in a nursery row in the garden. Cover with wire mesh to discourage pilfering by squirrels.
Oct. 28: Remove asparagus ferns after they have been killed by a hard freeze.
Oct. 29: Pull mulch away from the base of tree trunks to discourage basal decay. Also eliminate tufts of weeds and grass at the base of trees to discourage rodent feeding on the lower bark.
Oct. 30: Apply a light colored wrap around the trunk of young trees to reduce "sunscald" (white spiral perforated plastic works well) - remove after the danger of freezing temperature is past in the spring.
Oct. 31: Show off your creative talent with a custom carved, painted, or etched pumpkin. Roast pumpkin seeds for a tasty, nutritious snack (call the extension office for a recipe).
Phil Sell is a horticulturist
with K-State Research and Extension
in Shawnee County.
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