According to the calendar and position of the sun, it is now officially fall. It might not seem like it, but the nights are cooler and the days are shorter. Trees will start to drop leaves as they prepare for dormancy. Make sure you stay on top of raking to reduce fire danger in the windy Santa Ana season. We can now do any final hard pruning on the heartiest of plants, but do not prune tender plants at this time. By October the growth rate of our turf has slowed so we can lower our mowing height to 2.5”. While at it, sharpen your mower blade. The demand for water by your lawn has also lessened, and the cooler damp evenings could breed fungus. Keeping the turf shorter will help prevent this and may reduce thatch buildup. October is a great time to replenish any mulch that has depleted from summer. Now is the absolute best time to plant native shrubs, such as California wild lilac (Ceanothus), lemonade berry (Rhus integrifolia), and manzanita (Arctostaphylos), to your garden. Other California friendly and Mediterranean plants like Texas ranger, calliandra, salvias, do well if planted now too. As the weather continues to cool, add days between watering, but always irrigate for that same 5-9 minutes. We may only be watering 3 days a week now, adding an additional day if the temperature spikes, or the dry winds whip up. Speaking of winds now is a great time to prune your trees. If you wait another month, you may get damage to overly thick canopies during the rain and wind ahead. For a festive fall look, plant garden mums, pansies and violas in fall colors now. We can also plant annual flowers for over wintering like snapdragons, geranium, nasturtium, and Iceland poppies. They will bloom now then return to bloom again in spring. Bonus Tip: It's worth picking up wildflower seeds toward the end of this month. You'll have fresh seeds to select from and be ready to sow them as soon as the rains come, be it the beginning of November or not until the turn of the year.
It’s funny how old things come back in style. That is certainly true for furniture nowadays—old is in! People pay top dollar for vintage and retro pieces of furniture. Thrift stores, estate sales, and auctions have never been more popular. Want to create your own “distressed” furniture? Check out these tips below:
READ MORE>> No one likes a cluttered house, and a cluttered house is hard to keep clean.
Organizing your home can be a daunting endeavor. Aside from the obvious of getting rid of excess stuff, there are a few things you can do daily that will make your house look and feel less cluttered and more organized. READ MORE>> As most of the country has begun to see the leaves turn, in Southern California we are still having hot days. Do not worry, fall is looming on the horizon, you can tell because our sycamore trees are starting to drop leaves. Fire danger becomes very real during the windy Santa Ana winds. You may have had some regrowth of vegetation in your fire protection zone. It is a good idea to do one last cleanup. While you are at it, look for plants that have grown wildly over summer and are now under eves, touching roofs, or otherwise create fire ladders. Prune as necessary. The winds also wreak havoc on young trees with thick canopies, so prepare by thinning any overly heavy tree, and checking the integrity of tree stakes on young or newly planted trees. It is best to have a licensed tree care professional certified by the International Society of Aboriculture trimming your mature trees; Call them now to get on the schedule. September is a great time to check your yard drains and clear them out before the coming fall and winter rains. Just remember that after a good wind event you will have a buildup of leaves again, so check your drains often until spring. We should fertilize our lawn after Labor Day. Use a fertilizer labeled for fall, numbers 16-6-8 or similar. It will have less nitrogen and more potassium and phosphorus to help strengthen the root system and food storage capacity of your lawn. This will help your turf thrive over winter. Generally we can resume planting now, but hold off if we have an errant heat wave. Now through November we can plant shrubs and trees so they have time to get established before the freeze of winter. We can also plant our fall annual plants like snap dragons and pansies. If crabgrass had taken over areas of your lawn, dig it out and loosen the soil in any thin spots as well and seed or sod. To rejuvenate a typical tall fescue lawn (Marathon type), it is best to over seed with a mix of 70% tall fescue and 30% perennial rye grass seed. If you have a Bermuda or other winter dormant lawn, you should over seed with 100% perennial rye grass, but it can be a mix of types. Never use the cheaper “annual” rye grass. It becomes a weed in our warm climate. You will need to keep the seeds moist by watering 2-3 minutes, 3-4 times a day, for two or three weeks. If you are not over seeding, reduce your irrigation as the weather cools down to 4 days a week, and still 5-9 minutes each day. Bonus Tip: You will see fall planted spring bulbs like tulips, hyacinths, crocus, and daffodils appear in home centers now. In our climate it is way too early to plant and they will benefit from an artificial chill anyhow. Buy your bulbs now and place in a paper bag away from fruits in your refrigerator for several (up to sixteen) weeks. Plant them in December for a stunning spring display. If you love a good storage invention (or clever solution) that makes your life easier, you will love these useful tips and tricks… READ MORE>>>
August can be the hottest and driest month of the year. Even though it is hot, the days are now actually growing shorter, and your trees and shrubs will be giving one final push of rapid growth before they prepare for winter dormancy. Keep this in control by pruning as necessary, but try not to reduce trees or shrubs by more than 20% at this time. Over pruning will signal the plant to push out an excessive amount of tender new growth. This will stress it out at a time where it should be building reserves for the winter. Also, new growth will be susceptible to early frost if we get some. We will have time to hard prune during dormancy so just prune to shape and control leggy perennials and wayward branches. Keeping plants irrigated is a gardener's most important task this month. Vulnerable container plants may still need a daily soaking. Shallow-rooted trees like avocado and citrus need to be watered more frequently as well. Established shrubs, perennials, and shade trees will benefit from a slow, deep soak. In addition, mist plants with a hose occasionally to keep foliage clean and wash away pests like spider mites. Just make sure to do this in the early morning or early evening, and not in the heat of the day. August is the time to cut back spent hydrangeas, but not too hard; leave at least three buds per stem for next year's blooms. Vegetable gardeners can start germinating broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collard, kale, mustard greens, and other Brassica seeds now. Just keep them protected from the summer heat, and well watered. Bonus Tip: Most trees benefit from structural pruning every 2-4 years. Quality tree trimming professionals get very bust in the fall. Now is a great time to get an estimate on trimming and get on their schedule for October, just after the summer growth slows and just before Santa Ana winds begin. Do you have a concern or question or idea regarding the City of Wildomar? Come out to speak to the Mayor of Wildomar, Mayor Bridgette Moore, on Saturday July 23, 2016 from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. at the Starbucks Oak Creek Center located at 23823 #101 Clinton Keith Rod in Wildomar. Additional information may be obtained by contacting Janet Morales at jmorales@cityofwildomar.org.
Making new friends in a neighborhood can be intimidating. Others have established their social structure without you, and you're the outsider. With time, patience, and a little care you'll meet people and fit in.
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