The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

Lawn and Garden advice for October and November

Managing horticultural landscapes and house plants in November is important for healthy production during the growing season. Below are a few recommendations for Chouteau County gardeners.

• Apply protective mulches to perennial beds.

• Use a humidifier to maintain humidity for houseplants.

• Prune out dead limbs of woody ornamentals.

• Do not fertilize or transplant anything after Columbus Day.

• Continue to water landscape plantings (trees, shrubs, and perennials) until the soil freezes.

• Apply winter mulch to strawberry beds as soon as the ground freezes.

• Collect scions from now through late winter for grafting in the spring. Pack scions in damp peat moss and a plastic bag, not sealed tightly, and bury them a couple of feet deep in the soil.

• A second storage option for scions is to pack the scions in damp peat moss and a plastic bag, not sealed tightly, and store them in a refrigerator.

• Stay off frozen lawns.

• Store root crops in the root cellar. Root crops should have been dug up by mid -October with the exception of parsnips and salsify.

• Due to the angle of the sun during winter months, young trees planted in the last couple of years should be wrapped (using tree wrap available from nurseries) from the base to the first or second branch to help prevent sun scald.

• While automated sprinkler systems should be turned off and blown out for winter, trees and shrubs benefit from winter watering in our dry climate. The general recommendation is to water deeply around the

dripline about once a month if there has been limited moisture and ambient temperatures allow.

Information for this article was taken from the Montana Gardener’s Book of Days written by Bob Gough, Former Montana State University Extension Horticulture Specialist. For further information on horticultural landscapes, please contact the Chouteau County Extension Office at 622-3751, or stop in for a visit. Our office is located in the green building next to the Courthouse.

Montana State University U.S. Department of Agriculture and Montana Counties Cooperating. MSU Extension is an equal opportunity/affirmative action provider of educational outreach.