JOHNSTON COUNTY HOME HORTICULTURE

• Collect soil samples for testing, so you'll know how much fertilizer & lime  to add.  Test your lawn, flower beds & vegetable garden.  Testing should be done every 3 years.  The kits and analysis are FREE.
• Clean up and throw away any diseased plant material.  Do not throw it in a compost pile.  We've had an awful lot of fungus problems this year because of all the rain.  Leaving infected plant material on the plants or where it fell on the ground provides a source of re-infection for next year.

• Improve your clay soil. Shrubs and perennials can drown and suffocate in sticky clay soils.  Loosening the soil and adding well-rotted compost, in a ratio of one part compost to two parts soil, allows plants to grow much better.  Mix it well with the soil, making a bed 8-12" deep.  
• Use shredded leaves as mulch.  Fallen leaves contain lots of nutrients, but they decompose slowly. Help the process along by grinding up your leaves rather than sending them to the dump. You don't need a shredder; simply rake the leaves into rows and run over them with a mower.
  
• Plan for planting. Buying on impulse can be costly and labor-intensive in the future.  Before you hit the stores, determine "What does this particular site need: a tall plant that likes sun and dry soil? or a short, spreading plant that likes rather wet soil?"  Select plants that will do well in the conditions you can provide, and that will not grow larger than the space you can allow for them.
• Purchase spring-flowering bulbs and store them in a cool place until chilly weather sets in and you can plant them. Daffodils , Spanish Bluebells (Hyacinthoides hispanicus), and Snowflakes (Leucojum aestivum) are bulbs to consider. By contrast, Tulips and Dutch hyacinths decline after their first season here, and are best treated as annuals. 
• Compost your yard waste! As you cut back your perennials in preparation for winter, think about returning that bounty to your garden in the form of compost. Compost is nature's favorite fertilizer and soil conditioner. Recycle grass clippings, leaves, and non-diseased garden refuse.  E.mail me for a copy of a publication on how to create compost.
  
• Do not prune your trees and shrubs as it will induce tender, new growth that will not have enough time to become winter hardy before cold strikes. 
  
• Take cuttings of begonias, coleus , geraniums and impatiens to root and grow indoors during winter. 
  
• Remove bagworms from evergreens to greatly minimize their population numbers for next year. 
  
• To help trigger roses into dormancy, stop deadheading spent flowers and allow rose hips to form. 
  
• Apply the appropriate pre-emergent herbicide to all plant beds and turf areas (with a known cool-season weed problem) to avoid cool-season weeds. 
  
• Coddle Holiday Cactus  - Leave your holiday cactus outdoors in a spot that gets a few hours of bright sun and no light after dark. Give it regular water and fertilizer. The combination of attentive care, bright daytime light, and nights that are getting longer sets the stage for heavy bud production in early winter.

• Store tender tubers - such as dahlia, caladium, gladiolus, geranium, and tuberous begonia - which may not overwinter in the garden. Lift roots, tubers, or corms about the time of our first killing frost, just after their foliage dries. Dig deep enough so that the roots will not be snapped apart when lifted from the soil. Leave soil around dahlia tubers, canna, and caladium roots.  
• Store tubers in a dry, cool, frost-free place such as a basement. Do not store on back porch or in garage; these plants cannot withstand freezing. Also, store them where they will not be eaten by rodents.
• Geraniums  can be overwintered in pots, or bare root in paper bags. Store in a garage or other building until soil dries and falls away from plant parts. Shake soil off roots and tubers, and cut away dried stem. Discard any plant parts that show soft spots or disease. Place tubers and roots in old sawdust or peatmoss, in a flat box or plastic bag with holes for ventilation.
• Check your houseplants for insects before bringing them back indoors.  A few insects outside on your plant can easily turn into a problem inside your home where there aren't other insects eating them up.   Giving plants a bath with mild soap often does a good clean up job. 
  

Thanks to the Durham County Extension Office and 'Successful Gardener' for their generous contributions to this list.

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