By Pat Dray
The Garden Spot
Pat Dray.
It’s hard to believe that it’s fall already. I’m guessing many of us are wondering where the summer went. Although life is different in this time of COVID-19, one thing that we can be certain of is that the natural world has its own schedule.
One of the first fall chores that I take care of is “pest proofing” my home. The insects and small critters are searching for their winter homes right now. I’ve been finding brown marmorated stink bugs and mice inside already so need to take quick action. The stink bugs are mainly harmless inside the home, but if your pet eats one, he or she may vomit from the secretions. Definitely don’t crush these critters, unless you want to discover why they’re called stink bugs. To keep them out, make sure that all your window screens fit tightly. If you do find one inside you can drop it in some soapy water and it will quickly drown.
Take a walk around the exterior of your house and make sure you seal up any spaces where mice can come it. Remember that they can get through small holes, so it’s important to look around any pipes that may give them an entryway. The garage unfortunately presents a different dilemma since the doors are opened so frequently. Start by not leaving the garage doors open when you’re outside doing chores. Make sure that if you store any foods (such as pet food or bird seed) that it’s in a metal, tightly sealed container. Mice love to nest in a warm engine compartment and tend to chew the car wiring, so place “snap traps” around the car. Please don’t use sticky traps; these are inhumane. You can also place dryer sheets inside the car as a repellent.
After pest proofing, it’s time to review your landscaping and decide what needs to be removed or pruned. Any diseased plants should be removed and discarded in trash bags. Birds will enjoy the shelter of your landscape plants, so there’s no need to cut back seed pods and grasses which will also add winter interest. This is a good time to prune back any fall flowering trees or shrubs. You can cut back as much as a third of a shrub right to the ground to rejuvenate any tired or “leggy” ones. Most trees and shrubs also will thrive with a fall feeding. It’s also the best time of year to feed the turf.
The other big question is whether or not to rake. If the leaf cover on the lawn is not too heavy, use a composting blade on the lawn mower to chop the leaves into small pieces. As they decay, they will put nitrogen back into the soil. You can also have the chopped leaves blown into your beds where they’ll provide winter shelter for pollinators and will have begun the process of decaying into compost by spring.
Once you’ve finished your mowing and pruning for the year, be sure to sterilize cutting tools and sharpen blades and you’ll be ready for spring chores.
Pat Dray is a past president of the Orange Garden Club and a master gardener.