DIY Garden

Garden tips for October

Planting

October is the ideal month to plant or transplant. Because the soil is still relatively warm, deciduous perennials and shrubs can take root well before the winter and grow healthy in the spring. Evergreen perennials are best put into the ground before mid-October or else wait until next spring.

Flower bulbs and tubers

hand planting bulbs

You can still plant plenty of spring bloomers, such as tulips, daffodils, spring bells, and crocuses. Plant the bulbs at a depth that corresponds to twice the height of the bulb and press them firmly into the planting hole. The bulbous base must make good contact with the soil to create new roots.

Summer bloomers such as dahlias, gladioli, and tuberous begonias are sensitive to frost. Dig them out, let them dry well, and store them in a dark, frost-free place. A tray of dry peat dust is an ideal wintering place. This prevents them from rotting in the winter months, although it never hurts to check them once in a while for rot and mold.

The lawn

raking leaves from the lawn

In October, you should give the lawn the last mowing. It is also the last chance to sow bare spots with grass seed. You can sprinkle special autumn fertilizer with a high potassium content to make the grass blades more resistant to the freezing cold. And regularly rake fallen leaves from the lawn because grass buried under a leaf blanket is extra sensitive to fungal diseases in winter.

Pruning

close up pruning of birch

Plants and shrubs you can prune now include:

  • Conifers
  • Yew
  • Ivy
  • Shrub and standard roses
  • Raspberry bushes

Shrub roses are pruned back to knee height. When dealing with standard roses, you should prune the thin, young shoots back to about 10 centimeters above the thicker branches that grow from the grafting point.

It is also best to prune trees such as the birch, maple, hornbeam, and tulip tree before they lose their leaves. In the spring, the sap flow starts early, and they will bleed too much. In addition to dead branches, you can prune cross branches for a neater shape.

The pond

pond cleaning in autumn

October is the month to winterize your pond.

  • Remove plants that are not hardy such as the water hyacinth, and overwinter them in a bucket in the shed. Just make sure they have light.
  • Apply a new layer of the bottom substrate
  • Check the water quality. With the arrival of winter, the CO2 content in the water increases. A value of 10 to 12 GH is best.
  • The fish are less active and need less food.
  • Stretch a net over the water against fallen leaves.

Make a garden plan for next year.

hand sketches garden plan

Do you want to enjoy your garden even more next season? In Tips for your garden plan and the implementation, you will find an abundance of creative ideas and practical information.

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