- Cut back on watering Christmas cactus, Clivia and Epiphyllums to promote bud set.
- October is the time for planting spring-blooming bulbs and garlic. Try adding crushed oyster shell or chicken grit (available from farm feed stores) to the soil to help keep your bulbs safe from chipmunks, vols, squirrels and other bulb pilferers. Put a thin layer both above and below the bulbs.
- Clean and oil garden tools. Use linseed oil on wooden handles to preserve the wood. Use motor oil or Vaseline on metal parts.
- Put strawberries to bed for the winter. Fertilize now when flower buds are being formed. Use a 5-10-10 fertilizer at rates listed on the package. In spring add a light application of high nitrogen fertilizer such as blood meal or alfalfa meal. Be careful though, too much nitrogen can result in excessive vegetative growth that is attractive to insects and causes fewer flowers. Weed the area thoroughly and then cover the entire patch with one-half inch of manure and 2 to 3 inches of straw (Oct – Nov).
- Winterize asparagus and rhubarb plants by cutting down tops once frost has turned the tops brown and mushy. Cover the crowns by applying a heavy mulch of “Black Forest Compost” or well-rotted chicken manure.
- Continue picking up fallen fruit from underneath trees to help control overwintering insects and diseases.
