Monthly Checklist: October

Lawn Care

There’s still plenty of time to seed your lawn this month is you haven’t already, in fact the cooler temperatures in October will allow you to water less frequently.

• Ken Matthews Blend Fescue Seed is a custom fescue blend based on the recommendations from Virginia Tech and is blended especially for the Hampton Roads area.
• Annual Winter Rye to over-seed warm season lawns like Bermuda, Zoysia or Centipede.
• Jonathan Green New Seeding Fertilizer is the perfect choice for newly seeded lawns and can be put down the same day as grass seed.
• Jonathan Green Veri-Green for established lawns or for lawns that were seeded at least 30 days ago.

Insect & Disease Control

Continue keeping an eye out for any insect and fungal problems on your plants. 

• Neem Oil. Because it’s Organic, Neem Oil is perfect for control disease and insects on your veggies, herbs and fruits.
• Rose Shield to protect your plants against fungus, insects and mites. Best used on ornamental trees, shrubs and perennials.
• Copper Fungicide to quickly control fungal diseases like powdery mildew, rust, leaf curl and more.
• Rose Rx, a systemic control that protects plants for up to 6 weeks, meaning you spend less time spraying!
• Eight Insecticide to control multiple types of insects.

Garden Beds

Get your beds ready for fall planting!

• Lobster Compost to add organic matter and amend clay or sandy soils.
• Preen to prevent weeds in your garden beds so you aren’t spending your summer hand-pulling them out later.
• Mulch your garden beds and around trees and shrubs. Not only does mulch make your garden look tidier, it also acts as a layer of insulation, keeping root systems and dormant bulbs toasty during winter.

Fertilizers

Remember to thoroughly read your label to know how often you need to fertilize.

• Fertilome Tree & Shrub Fertilizer is a great all-purpose fertilizer for all trees and shrubs.
• HollyTone for the feeding of acid loving trees and shrubs.
• Fox Farm All Purpose Fertilizer for all your plant needs.
• Fox Farm Tomato and Vegetable, formulated for vegetable to encourage healthy plants and large yields.
• Fox Farm Fruit and Flower for all fruiting plants, flowering shrubs, perennials and annuals.
• Dynamite Slow-Release Fertilizer for Flowers and Veggies. Use once when you plant and then sit back and relax, Dynamite will fertilize for up to 9 months!

Pond Care

As fall sets in, the amount of care your pond needs will decrease.

• Microbe Lift adds beneficial bacteria to improve the conditions of your pond by removing pollutants.
• Spring & Fall Fish Food once your pond’s water temperatures drop below 60°. Remember to stop feeding entirely once water temperatures drop below 50°.
• Netting keeps falling leaves and other debris out of your pond over winter, resulting in less spring clean-up for you!

Animal Repellents

While these products are useful year-round, you may notice more hungry critters feasting on your plants than normal as their other food sources begin to go dormant.

• Liquid Fence can be sprayed directly onto your plants to protect them from hungry deer and rabbits.
• Deer Scram creates a powerful barrier around your plants to protect them from deer.
• Repels All is an excellent all-purpose repellant if your critter problems go beyond the standard deer and rabbits.
• Hot Pepper Wax is a spicy, natural alternative to repels all and is safe to use on veggies and herbs (but make sure you rinse off your edibles before you eat them, or you’re in for a spicy surprise!)
• Mole Max drives away moles, voles and other ground dwelling rodents naturally.

Miscellaneous

• Raised Bed Soil for new and existing raised beds. It works great in containers too.
• Potting Soil for indoor containers, outdoor containers and hanging baskets.
• Root Stimulant to encourage new root development and to prevent transplant shock in new plantings.
• Vole Bags to use around the root ball of new plantings to prevent hungry voles from munching the root systems of new plants.
• Birdseed & Suet to start filling your feeders for fall and winter birds.