1. Get a jump on next year’s lawn and gardens by having a soil test done through the UConn Soil Nutrient Analysis Laboratory.
2. If the pH of garden and flower beds needs to raised, wood ashes may be used. Wood ashes have a pH of 11.0 and also contain phosphorous, potassium, and calcium. Use at 1 ½ times the suggested rate of limestone. (So if 5 lbs of limestone are called for, use 7.5 lbs of wood ash).
3. Apply fall fertilizer to lawns between Sept. 15th and Oct. 15th.
4. Watch for frost warnings and cover tender plants to extend the season.
5. Rake up leaves, twigs, and fruit from crabapple trees to control apple scab disease. Do not compost.
6. Remove the pesky seedlings of woody ornamentals such as maple or elm so that they don’t take over gardens and other landscape plantings.
7. Continue to water any new shrub or tree plantings until the first hard frost.
8. Plant asters and chrysanthemums for fall color in the landscape.
9. Plant/transplant peonies now. Plant the crowns to a depth of one and a half to two inches below ground level.
10. Stop by theCornucopia Festat the UConn Storrs campus on Sunday, September 21st, from 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. to get answers to your gardening questions. Bring a half-cup of soil for a free pH test.
For more information, please visit the UConn Home and Garden Education Center, or call 877-486-6271.
Photo: Delaware Extension