Plants for Fall Color

I N S I D E

T H I S I S S U E :

Lawn Care 2

Facebook 3

Leaves 3

Veggie cleanup 3

CMG recruiting 4

Master Gardener’s

Corner

4

A D A M S C O U N T Y

E X T E N S I O N

Horticulture Newsletter F A L L 2 0 1 5

I N T R O D U C T I O N

Welcome to the first

edition of the Adams

County Extension

Horticulture Newsletter.

Another summer has

already come and gone

and in this edition we will

focus on fall garden

issues. If you do not wish

to receive this newsletter

in the future simply

respond to

ehammond@adcogov.org

that you wish to be

removed from the list.

Who doesn’t love fall color? Here are some ideas for plants with great fall color

which are also well adapted to our area!

Caddo Sugar Maple—a great shade

tree with vibrant red fall color

Little Bluestem Grass — good xeric

(low water use) ornamental grass

Three-leaf sumac— a dense growing xeric low-lying shrub

P A G E 2

Tip! Water your

lawn a day or two

before you have it

aerated. Longer

cores will be pulled

if the soil is moist

but not sopping

wet.

Fall Lawn Care

Tip! All fertilizes are labeled with at least three numbers with dashes

between them. These numbers tell you composition of the fertilizer

by % weight of the three major plant nutrients nitrogen (N)

phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). In order the first number

represents nitrogen the second phosphorus and the final number

potassium. So if a ten pound bag of fertilizer is labeled 10-10-10 it

contains 1 pound of N, 1 pound of P and 1 Pound of K (10lb * 10%)

Aeration-

Regular aeration with a core aerator

helps to increase soil oxygen levels,

improve infiltration of water and

encourage root growth. Aeration is

always beneficial but is particularly

important if you have a clay soil or a

yard that receives a lot of traffic

(think kids or pets).

It is recommended that you have

your lawn aerated in both the spring

and the fall with a core aerator. The

plugs pulled by the aerator should be

2-3 inches long and be pulled 2 inches

apart. This may mean that more than

one pass will need to be made

through the yard with the aerator.

After the aeration is complete the

cores which have been removed can

be safely left to fall apart on the lawn.

More information lawn care in our

climate can be found in our Lawn

Care Fact Sheet.

Fall is a critical time for the care of

your lawn. This is the time of year

that cool season species of turf like

Kentucky blue grass are building

root systems to support next

year’s growth. There are a couple

key things you can do to help your

lawn in this endeavor.

Fertilization-

Fall is the most critical time to

fertilize your lawn. Fall fertilization

encourages root growth which

supports next year’s lawn. Lawns

with well developed root systems

are denser, more resistant to

damage by insect and diseases and

more drought tolerant. Apply a

pound of nitrogen per 1,000 ft2

sometime around mid-September.

If the weather remains warm or

you are trying to maintain a very

high quality lawn you can apply

another pound of nitrogen per

1,000 ft2 in early-November.

H O R T I C U L T U R E N E W S L E T T E R

Photo courtesy of

http://www.fertilizer101.org/

Adams County Master Gardeners are on Facebook

P A G E 3

The Adams County Master Gardeners are now on Facebook!

If you’re interested in getting timely information and seeing

local gardening issues and other fun plant and horticulture

related subjects Like the page!

Find the page here or by

scanning the QR code.

and “Put it to bed” for the

winter. It is important that

dead plants and other debris

are removed from the garden

before winter as many insects

and diseases overwinter on

dead plant material. Plants

which were healthy during the

growing season can be placed

in the compost bin or

incorporated into the gardens

soil. Plants which had disease

Many

vegetable

crops are

still

producing

and cool

season crops

are really

starting to

look good but believe it or

not it won’t be long till it is

time to clean up the garden

issues should be removed

from the site as most home

compost does not get hot

enough to kill the disease

organisms. Normally, this

means they go out with the

trash or are taken to a

commercial compost

operation that accepts yard

waste.

used as a soil

amendment or

simply mulched

into a lawn

with a lawn mower. Dried leaves are a good

source of organic matter.

When added to your garden,

organic matter is broken

down by soil life releasing

nutrients (dry leaves may

contain up to 2% nitrogen by

weight). Over time

regular addition of

organic matter can also

improve a soil’s

structure. In practical terms,

this means that by finding a

use for dry leaves in your yard

you are giving your plants

some extra (and free!)

nutrients and improving the

soil by increasing aeration and

drainage.

Many homeowners see the

leaves shed by their trees as

nothing more than a mess that

needs to be cleaned up.

However, for savvy gardeners

they are a valuable resource!

Instead of bagging your leaves

and sending them to the

landfill consider putting them

to a productive use. Dry

leaves can be composted,

Dealing with Leaves

Vegetable Garden Cleanup

TIP! When

Composting

leaves, shred

them first to

help the

compost

“finish” more

quickly

Good soil moisture is a must

and will help reduce possi-

ble damage to the root of the

plant. Every few weeks

check to make sure the soil

is still moist by using a

trowel to dig up some soil.

If it rolls into a ball and

stays that way, there is no

need to water. If the soil

crumples, watering will be

needed. Be sure to water on

days then the temperature

will be above 45 degrees for

several hours.

By Dee Reidel

Thoughts on seasonal

gardening topics by your

Adams County Master

Gardeners

Caring for Roses in the

Fall:

To help roses survive the

winter, there are several ac-

tions you can take to give

them the best chance possi-

ble. Be sure that your roses

are healthy, that will help

them come back stronger in

the spring. In late fall to

early winter add mulch up

over the crown and graft to

a depth of 6 to 8 inches.

9755 Henderson Rd

Brighton, CO 80601

Phone: 303-637-8100

E-mail: ehammond@adcogov.org

http://www.colostate.edu/Depts/CoopExt/Adams/

We are now accepting applications for the 2016

Colorado Master Gardener Training. If you are

passionate about plants, want to learn to be a

better gardener and excited about the thought of

helping others solve their garden problems the

community we would love to hear from you.

Applications can be found on the Adams County

Extension web site.

You can also contact Cassey Anderson at

cmanderson@adcogov.org if you have further

questions about the trainings or the Colorado

Master Gardener Program

Adams County Extension

Master Gardener’s Corner

Master Gardener Apprentice Training