October Gardening Tips

Plant

Best month to dig and divide spring-blooming perennials including violets, oxalis, hardy glads, Shasta daisies, daylilies, iris, coneflowers, gloriosa daisies, ferns, hostas, hardy amaryllis, ornamental
grasses, loosestrife, mondograss and liriope.
Transplants of winter and spring color can be set out after midmonth, including pansies, pinks, snapdragons and flowering cabbage and kale.
Take cuttings of hard to find tropical annuals early in month to be sure they are rooted for over wintering indoors.
Trees and shrubs planted now will establish well before next summer.
For fall/winter vegetables plant beets, carrots, swiss chard, garlic, leaf lettuce, mustard, radish, and spinach early in the month.

Prune

Remove all seed, leaf and stem stubble from perennial beds. You may have to cut plants back partially at first, then completely to ground as frost nears.
Keep mowing lawn at recommended height; letting grass grow tall weakens it.
Remove dead or damaged limbs from shade trees, and cable any that are at risk of breaking in ice and wind.
Major pruning of tree limbs is better if held until winter.

Fertilize

Feed cool season grasses as soon as they are growing. Warm season turf can also be fed, but early in month. For both, use a high quality fertilizer. Half of its nitrogen should be in a slow release form.
Apply water soluble plant food to new winter color plantings.
Water new perennial plantings deeply using a liquid root stimulator.