Almost all of the garden chores should be completed by November. Though the summer is over, keep a weather eye. Hurricane season is still with us until November 30.
This month’s gardener’s checklist:
- The cumulative effect of cooler/ shorter days on plants is slower growth requiring less water, less fertilizer and in the case of lawns, less mowing.
- November is our driest month of the year with about four days of rain yielding an average of 1-1/3 inches. Plant accordingly with a plan to supplement with fresh water.
- As long as the temperature is below 80 degrees, it is safe to treat the weeds in your lawn.
- Put the shears, nippers and loppers away until early March. Pruning stimulates growth that can be damaged by frosts from November through March. On average, though the first frost date is December 15, and the average last frost date is January 31. The time period of 6 to 6:30 a.m. is the coldest. And, if there is a frost, the plants facing east will get the blast of the sun first, not allowing them to warm slowly. This is a problem. The cells in the leaves burst, resulting in dark green, limp foliage.
- Planting tropical shrubs and trees at this time of the year is risky due to the colder temperatures. It’s OK to plant the native and subtropical cabbage/sabal, pindo, Chinese fan or European fan palms. (Don’t forget to provide initial supplemental watering, preferably not from the irrigation system.)
- When planting cool season annuals and herbs, use new topsoil and a slow-release fertilizer. Osmocote is pricey but very good and comes in an easy to handle container. Osmocote Plus contains additional micro-nutrients that are sorely needed.
- If you haven’t applied fertilizer to shrubs and trees/palms…do so now. The deadline is the middle of November when the temperatures might become too chilly.
- If you haven’t mulched yet, do so to retain moisture during the dry winter months.
