Starting to See Fall Color

With the little bit of frost we had a couple of weeks ago many folks were relieved that they were done with zucchini and cucumbers, but hopefully folks covered the pumpkins as we are having the best weather of the year if you exclude the wind. But the wind has cleared much of the smoke, so there is something good about all of it. If we could just get some more rain. Since we haven’t had much rain our thoughts turn to fall watering. This time of year, because of the cooler temperatures, I generally suggest that you begin cutting back on the amount of water going out to established landscapes. I repeat, established landscapes. If you are watering every day consider cutting that to every 3rd day, but increasing the time for each zone. This correlates with my mantra of deep watering – less frequently for plant roots to be moist all the way to the bottom of the root ball.

As we move through October many of you will be having your irrigation system blown out for the winter but keep in mind that your plants, especially trees, need deep watering into November and even later until the ground freezes. The dry weather we had during early 2020 was very harmful for many trees and shrubs, as well as the harsh freezes in October and April. Let’s face it, 2020 was a tough gardening and landscaping year and I for one am looking forward to 2021. I guess that is the farm girl left in me, next year has to be better.

The comments above about reducing the water DO NOT apply to newly planted (within the last 3-6 months) trees and shrubs. The goal for recently planted trees is to keep the top 2 feet of the soil evenly moist, not dry, not soggy, out to the drip line, whatever that takes in your soil. Again, that means you need to be monitoring your plantings until the ground freezes. This is most critical for evergreens. Most of us think plant dormancy means that a tree is totally sleeping and does not respirate or need water, but as a general rule trees are resting and conserving energy for next season, and root growth continues as long as the soil is warm and moist. Our dry winter wind and sometimes lack of winter moisture make it challenging to have trees here in the Yellowstone Valley, but taking the extra care needed in the beginning years will make all the difference in the success of your planting project and give you the shade and beauty you are looking for.

This year we have seen a renewed interest in planting plants that produce food. This year I found a group called Sustainable Montana. They are a group that is looking to promote reconnecting with our food. They are offering grants to help folks establish fruit plants for their yard. This mild fall weather is perfect for planting fruit for all the reasons we have covered before. Keep in mind that fruit trees are a long game as most varieties take 2-5 years to mature enough to fruit. Apples, pears, plums, pie cherries are the staples of the home fruit orchard here in our area. If you have a bit of microclimate in your yard you may be able to have apricots or peaches. Keep in mind apples, pears, apricots, and most plums need a companion pollinator tree. Pie cherries and peaches are self-fertile, so you only need one tree.

The number one comment I get from folks looking at fruit trees, “I want a dwarf tree.”My come back, “Never let a fruit tree get bigger than you want to stand on a ladder and pick the fruit.” The basics of fruit tree size vary from variety to variety. In the fruit tree world dwarf usually means the tree will be 12’ and less, semi-dwarf means the tree will be 12-18’ and standard means the tree will be 18’ plus. Pie cherries and plums are naturally 12-15’, but apples and pears can be 18’ and larger. Apples and pears are generally grafted to root stocks that contribute to hardiness, tree size, time to fruit maturity and overall tree health. Not all varieties of fruit are hardy or compatible with dwarf root stock. Some varieties do best on standard root stock. When we select fruit tree varieties, we always look for the most reliable root stock for varieties that have a chance to bloom and finish fruit around our Montana weather. I confess that we do read the catalog descriptions, and wonder who writes this stuff and how do I get that job? I just made fruit trees seem complicated but stop in to visit with us for more details. We still have a good selection of fruiting bushes for people and wildlife or some combination of both.

I have had a couple of questions about white grubs in the lawn. There are several kinds of bugs that lay eggs that become soil grubs that eat the roots of your grass. It is critical to identify the type of grubs you find to determine the best treatment plan. Here in the Billings area we have June bug grubs, and if you live up by Lake Elmo you could have Japanese beetle grubs. Japanese beetle is a colorful green beetle that feeds voraciously on your roses and other plants during the summer. The females lay eggs in the soil that become the larvae that we call grubs that then eat the grass roots in the fall, burrow deeper in the soil for the winter. In early spring the grubs make their way back up in the soil to hatch as adults in July in Montana and the cycle starts again. Adult beetles can be sprayed when you see them, but it is best to treat the lawn for grubs when they are closest to the surface in May and October. MSU Extension has a MontGuide with an extensive list of treatment options. Japanese beetles are very destructive, and we should make every effort to identify and control them before they get to epidemic levels.

It is again that season when deer are looking for tasty green leaves and they will soon be rubbing on unprotected tree trunks. Please protect your trees even if you have not seen any deer. It is also time to protect your dark bark trees like apple, cherry, linden, maple, and mountain ash from winter sunburn. Use a light colored, not black, trunk covering that you remove in the spring. Folks are also noting seasonal needle drop on evergreens, especially pines. Pine can only support 2-3 years of needle growth based on weather and water conditions. They direct energy to the new growth as they shed the older needles. Be sure to water all evergreens well before the ground freezes.

One of the stops on our recent Kalispell trip was at Bibler Gardens outside of Kalispell. It is a private 8-acre garden with four season interest started by Sam and Jean Bibler that is now open to the public by appointment. They have spectacular displays of unusual evergreens, spring bulbs, summer annuals, fruit trees and a pair of black swans. It was plant geek heaven.

We usually don’t have house plants but this year we are trying Wasabi and Ginger plants. They are coming along in pots and it will be fun to see if we can winter them over. Stop by and check them out along with our fall plant specials. With our warm days in the forecast it is a smidge too early for extensive fall pruning so stay tuned for more on that next time.