Seasonal Gardening Calendar

October

Pansy planting season has begun, get a six pack and start planting! In order to see pretty flowers in the spring, plant spring flowering bulbs, like tulip, daffodil and hyacinth.

Prev Next
  • OCTOBER Week 1

    Plant fescue

    Fall fescue planting season officially begins! Watering restrictions are still in force in many places so make SURE you have good soil-seed contact. Aerate before seeding, roll afterwards, water when you can.

    See Fescue Planting 1-2-3

    Apply pre-emergent

    Last chance to apply a weed preventer to bermudagrass, zoysiagrass and centipedegrass lawns to thwart winter weeds like chickweed and annual bluegrass. You can still get 75% control at this point in the season.

    See Timing Pre-emergent Application

    Give your poinsettia plenty of light

    If you want your poinsettia to turn color by Christmas, now’s the time to begin giving it 14 hours of darkness and 10 hours of bright light each day.

    See Forcing Poinsettia into Color

    Trim back woody plants

    Trim back by one fourth any woody plants you’ve kept outdoors during the summer, to help them fit inside your home for the winter.

    See Pruning Hibiscus

    Fertilize new fescue

    Fertilize newly planted fescue with a high-phosphorus starter fertilizer.

    See Fescue Fertilization

    Our Seasonal Gardening Calendar contains affiliate links to products that we recommend and use ourselves. If you use these links to buy something we may earn a commission. Thanks.

  • OCTOBER Week 2

    Plant pansies

    The pansy planting season begins now! Plant “six-pack” pansies eight inches apart, larger plants can be spaced ten inches apart.

    See Planting Pansies

    Cut back flower stems

    Cut brown flower stems of purple coneflower, black-eyed Susan, daylily and hosta back to ground level.

    Bring in patio plants

    Move patio plants into shade for two weeks before bringing them inside. This will help prevent leaf drop.

    See Insects on Patio Plants

    Fertilize new pansies

    Drench newly-planted pansies with water-soluble houseplant fertilizer at the rate shown on the label. This will push them off to a fast start.

    See Fertilizing Pansies

    Apply weed preventer

    Apply a weed preventer to beds of already-planted cool-season flowers to prevent weed seeds from sprouting.

    See Pansy Weed Control

     

    • Advertisement
  • OCTOBER Week 3

    Clean up fallen fruit

    Clean fallen fruit from the ground under pear and apple trees. Remove from the tree any fruit that you don’t intend to harvest.

    See Fruit Tree Care

    Plant Spring bulbs

    Plant spring flowering bulbs, like tulip, daffodil and hyacinth. Old, crowded beds can be loosened and the bulbs divided and replanted now.

    See Planting Bulbs in Fall

    Divide daylillies

    Finish dividing daylily clumps, iris rhizomes and peony roots. Plant them into a well-dug bed immediately.

    See Dividing Daylilies

    One last mowing

    Raise your mower height one-half inch and enjoy a last mowing of your Bermuda, centipede or zoysia lawn. You can now put your lawnmower to rest for the winter.

    See Mowing Heights for Lawns

    Remove faded roses

    Remove faded rose blooms. Clip wayward stems back so the plant has a compact form, ready for winter wind and ice.

    See Rose Care

  • OCTOBER Week 4

    Cut back faded flowers

    As chrysanthemum and aster flowers fade, cut the plants back to six inches tall.

    Replace mulch

    Rake out and replace all of the mulch and dead leaves under roses, red tip photinia and crabapples. You’ll prevent diseases on next year’s leaves.

    Check your pesticides in storage

    Review your pesticide storage procedures. Are they all labeled? In a locked cabinet? In a place where they won’t freeze this winter?

    see Storing and Disposing Pesticides

    Bring root cuttings inside

    Root cuttings of geranium, impatiens, begonia and other “outside” plants to bring indoors for the winter.

    see Cleaning and Propagating Houseplants

    Fertilize pansies

    Fertilize pansies again with water-soluble houseplant fertilizer. Switch to a product that contains nitrate nitrogen (Osmocote, Pansy Booster, etc) when you feed in two weeks.

    see Pansy Care

     

Prev Next