Fall Planting Tips

Fall is the time for your landscape to prepare for winter and in turn have a brilliant spring.

Now that the weather is mild, take advantage of it by getting new plants in the ground, your perennials pruned and divided and garden beds ready for next spring!

1. Get Planting! In the Tehachapi climate, Fall really is a great time to plant all trees, shrubs, lawns and ground covers.Our warm days and cool nights encourage root growth, giving roots fall, winter and spring to get established before the summer heat. Plus plants are less likely to go into transplant shock so you’ll have better overall results!
2. “Nip Weeds in the Seed” Apply pre-emergent weed killer to flower beds. This will help keep weeds from germinating this winter.
3. Let your Plants and Flowers Multiply! Dig up and divide bulbs and perennials
4. Plant new bulbs for spring color. Daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, crocus and iris are all excellent choices. If gophers and grounds squirrels are a problem, plant daffodils or put all other bulbs in containers or wire baskets.
5. Fall is still a great time for color! Plant pansies, snapdragons, mums, kale and other fall bedding plants to enjoy color all through the cool season. Pansies and violas bloom all winter; even through the snow!
   
   

   Low Nitrogen Fertilizer - Gives plants something good to eat

6. Give them a haircut! Cut back and dead head bedding plants and summer blooming shrubs.
7. Get your lawn ready for winter. Apply a fall and winter fertilizer to your lawn. This gets it ready for the cold weather, feeding it to help get deep rooted. As an added benefit, you’ll see it green up early in the spring.
8. Shower your trees and shrubs with protection. Apply a dormant oil to all deciduous trees and shrubs as soon as they drop their leaves. This will kill over wintering insects and fungus. Another application should be applied in late February.
9. Insulate your trees & shrubs – Mulch around trees and shrubs to protect the roots from the freezing winter weather.This gives them a little more insulation and holds in moisture longer in case mother nature is stingy with rain this winter.
10. Give them something good to eat. Feed flowering shrubs and fruit trees with a low nitrogen fertilizer for good flower production next spring.
11. Keep it under wraps! Wrap all water faucets and pipes with insulation to prevent winter damage!

Keep a copy of these helpful tips handy: Download and print these helpful Fall Planing Tips