News
ENLARGE
The fall is a lovely time of the year to view the colors in your yard.
But instead of just focusing on the beauty of nature, take a little more time to look closely at each plant and the landscape as a whole. This is a great time of the year to ponder how well your plants grew, whether you have more or less disease than usual, how well your watering system worked, whether your vegetable garden was productive and if your lawn recovered from the heat of summer.
If you evaluate how well you did as a gardener at this time of the year, you will remember the details better than when you are starting up again next spring, especially if you write them down.
Here is an example of how I evaluated my yard this fall. I noticed the past two years that my vegetable garden was pretty slow getting started in the spring. I came to the conclusion that the trees in my yard are getting larger and the site is too shady and cool. Therefore, I chose a new site that is farther away from big trees and should warm up much faster in the spring.
With the new vegetable site, I killed the tough perennial grass, spread compost and seeded an annual ryegrass-hairy vetch cover crop to protect it over winter.
Another evaluation I do every year is to walk around looking at shrubs and trees as leaves come off to see how much growth they have made. I want plants that make enough growth to produce good leaf and flower buds for next year, but not so much growth that I have a big pruning job to do annually. This is true for fruit trees or flowering shrubs.
If you have to chop a plant back hard every year because it is blocking a window or the sidewalk, it may be in the wrong place. Try to balance growth and pruning so you get a moderate response.
Next, think about your watering habits. Are you applying enough water to get healthy growth while minimizing waste? If your shrubs require lots of pruning, hold back on watering a little. Take a look at your lawn areas. Do you have a spongy yard when you walk on it? That is often a sign of thatch from too much watering and fertilizing.
Allow the cool season grasses to slow down during the heat of summer. I apply about half an inch of water two times a week. If the turf comes back strong with the fall rains, I know I am watering enough.
And keep a garden journal. By looking at what you did during the season with fertilization, pesticides, planting, harvesting and watering, it will make your fall evaluation easier and you will know how to adjust your plans for next year to improve your landscape.
Steve Renquist is the Horticulture Extension agent for OSU Extension Service of Douglas County. He can be reached by e-mail at steve.renquist@oregonstate.edu or by phone at 672-4461.
But instead of just focusing on the beauty of nature, take a little more time to look closely at each plant and the landscape as a whole. This is a great time of the year to ponder how well your plants grew, whether you have more or less disease than usual, how well your watering system worked, whether your vegetable garden was productive and if your lawn recovered from the heat of summer.
If you evaluate how well you did as a gardener at this time of the year, you will remember the details better than when you are starting up again next spring, especially if you write them down.
Here is an example of how I evaluated my yard this fall. I noticed the past two years that my vegetable garden was pretty slow getting started in the spring. I came to the conclusion that the trees in my yard are getting larger and the site is too shady and cool. Therefore, I chose a new site that is farther away from big trees and should warm up much faster in the spring.
With the new vegetable site, I killed the tough perennial grass, spread compost and seeded an annual ryegrass-hairy vetch cover crop to protect it over winter.
Another evaluation I do every year is to walk around looking at shrubs and trees as leaves come off to see how much growth they have made. I want plants that make enough growth to produce good leaf and flower buds for next year, but not so much growth that I have a big pruning job to do annually. This is true for fruit trees or flowering shrubs.
If you have to chop a plant back hard every year because it is blocking a window or the sidewalk, it may be in the wrong place. Try to balance growth and pruning so you get a moderate response.
Next, think about your watering habits. Are you applying enough water to get healthy growth while minimizing waste? If your shrubs require lots of pruning, hold back on watering a little. Take a look at your lawn areas. Do you have a spongy yard when you walk on it? That is often a sign of thatch from too much watering and fertilizing.
Allow the cool season grasses to slow down during the heat of summer. I apply about half an inch of water two times a week. If the turf comes back strong with the fall rains, I know I am watering enough.
And keep a garden journal. By looking at what you did during the season with fertilization, pesticides, planting, harvesting and watering, it will make your fall evaluation easier and you will know how to adjust your plans for next year to improve your landscape.
Steve Renquist is the Horticulture Extension agent for OSU Extension Service of Douglas County. He can be reached by e-mail at steve.renquist@oregonstate.edu or by phone at 672-4461.
