• Plant spring-blooming bulbs now See our Spring Bulbs Care Guide.

• Growing Paper Whites for indoor bloom --Paper White bulbs take about 5-7 weeks to bloom. If you want bloom for the holidays, start the bulbs in early November. To prevent legginess, start bulbs outdoors the beginning of November in a sunny location. You can start bulbs in either soil or gravel. When foliage has reached 2 to 3 inches tall, bring indoors if the weather is cold and place in a window or a porch with full sun. If the weather stays warm, leave the plants in their sunny location out of doors. Once buds begin to develop, you can place Narcissus anywhere in the house. See our Paper Whites Care Guide. 

Watering and Irrigation. . .
As the weather cools down and days shorten before the rainy season begins. Remember to adjust your irrigation systems downward for fall weather. Once the rains begin, turn systems off. If there is no rain for 2 weeks, resume watering. Remember -- lawns, trees and shrubs cannot coexist on the same water schedule!

FOR NEW LANDSCAPE PLANTINGS: Once planting is completed, water plants well. Check plants for water daily for the first week and if necessary, place hose on trickle near the base of the plant and leave on for up to 30 minutes.  You may need to run drip or spray systems every 3 to 4 days for the first 2 weeks if you find that the top 2 to 3 inches of soil dries out quickly. For groundcovers in full sun, water new plantings deeply to about 6 inches every  4 to 5 days. You can adjust your systems according to the following recommendations after this period.  The Rapitest Moisture Meter is a worthwhile investment.  We have discovered, especially with new plantings, that the backfill may be moist but the root ball is dry and the plant suffers accordingly. The Rapitest Moisture Meter would prevent that.

LAWNS: Ideally, lawns should be watered once per week for one-half to one hour to encourage deep root systems. Before the rains come is a perfect time to have your lawns aerated if it hasn't been done this year. If your water runs off the lawn, you may have to divide the time into two or three applications. As soon as the rains begin, turn systems off.

SHRUBS & ROSES: For most bubbler or spray systems, once per week for one hour should be adequate. Remember to avoid direct water on rose foliage unless you water early in the morning in order to decrease the incidence  of rust. Contrary to popular belief, wet foliage does not promote powdery mildew. If you have a drip system, set systems to emit 5 gallons of water 2 times per week.

TREES: Water established trees once a month through November (until the rain begins) for a few hours with bubblers at the dripline to ensure a deep soaking. You can also build a berm at least 4 to 6 inches high and flood monthly or use a Ross Root Feeder for trees planted in lawns. Deciduous fruit trees can go dry to push them into dormancy.

VEGETABLES: Soaker hoses work great for vegetable gardens. Run them 1 to 2 times per week for 3 to 4 hours. Turn pressure on until you count one drip every three seconds along the entire line.

MULCHES:  When all of your trees, shrubs and vegetables have been planted, they should be mulched.  Almost any kind of organic matter can be used as a mulch.  Some examples are:  wood chips, fir bark, redwood compost, fir compost, rice hulls, hay and even newspaper.  Some of the materials are more attractive than others.  The purpose of the mulch is to suppress weeds, help prevent evaporation of water from the soil, keep the soil in the summer and warmer in the winter. It will also be attractive and gradually work into the soil as an amendment.  Mulches (except newspapers) should be 2 to 4 inches deep and should be kept about four inches away from the trunks of trees and shrubs.  Shredded redwood bark (sometimes called "gorilla hair") has not been found to be a satisfactory mulch; it soon loses its attractiveness and does not permit water to pass through.  Shredded redwood bark when rolled does make a good foot path.

Special tip from Ed: The Santa Clara Valley Water District offers home visits to evaluate water systems for water-wise efficiency. Call 1-888-439-6624 to schedule an appointment or contact them at www.valleywater.org. In the Redwood City area call: 780-7464. Don't forget to water those flower beds under the eaves of the house where the rain never hits!

November Garden Tips from Wegman Professionals. . .
ANNUALS

• Broadcast California poppy and native wildflower seeds after preparing the soil (unless you plan to feed the birds!) as follows: 1) Remove or clear existing vegetation such as weeds, groundcovers or grass in areas to be planted. The goal is to reduce competition so that seedlings flourish and become established. 2) Loosen soil to at least 1 inch. 3) Sow seeds. Mix in some Joe Pye Weed seeds to attract butterflies.4) Cover with Gardener’s Gold Potting Soil. We prefer this cover to others because it’s light enough for seeds to penetrate when germinating, yet heavy enough so that it isn’t displaced by water  or wind. 5) Water as needed to keep the soil moist and to prevent the seedlings from drying out.

• Continue planting winter annuals -- Try calendula, snapdragons, stock, and cineraria for fall and winter color. For more color through the winter months, plant violas, pansies, Iceland poppies, English primrose,  fairy primrose, Primula obconica, cyclamen and flowering kale and cabbage.  Mix in some colorful greens such as Red Leaf lettuce and Rainbow chard.

• Refresh your soil after pulling your summer annuals -- Add 1 to 2 inches of Master Nursery Gold Rush and broadcast Master Nursery Master Start at the rate of 10 pounds to 500 square feet and till in to a depth of 8 to10 inches. If your soil has been tilled and amended and is in good tilth, do not rototil or dig it up again--plant ad then mulch some more.

• Be sure to plant your annuals before the end of the month and before the ground becomes cold.  If planted too late, they will just sit there all winter with little or no growth.

• Start sweet peas from seed -- Ideally, you should prepare a trench about 12 inches deep and wide. Mix one-third Master Nursery Gold Rush to two-thirds native soil and fill the hole with this amended mixture. Add Master Start Fertilizer at the rate of 10 pounds to 500 square feet. Plant seeds 1” deep and 6” apart and water in well. Special tip from Ed: For a novel twist, let sweet peas climb on existing shrubs. White sweet peas, for example, growing onto a red climbing rose or mixed sweet peas climbing on an ivy-covered fence provide a mildly wild look, boosting viewing pleasure.

•Forget-Me-Nots can also be started from seed in semi-shady areas.

• Snail control -- Don’t forget to apply Sluggo or Master Nursery Pest-Fighter for Slugs and Snails after planting annuals. Sluggo is safe for pets and children but baits with Metaldehyde are extremely toxic to dogs.

• Many annuals (zinnias, cosmos, snapdragons, etc.) have become mildewed now that summer is over. Don't bother trying to treat the mildew. Get rid of the plants when they finish blooming.  Do not compost. Leave a few cosmos as long as possible for the gold finches to feed on.

BULBS

• Plant spring-blooming bulbs now. We still have an excellent selection, including tulips, daffodils, hyacinth, freesias, narcissus, iris, anemone, and ranunculus. We also carry a select handful of unusual bulbs such as:  Iphion, Lycoris and Galanthus.

• Remember to refrigerate tulips and hyacinths for 6-8 weeks before planting. Store in paper bags in the refrigerator away from ripe fruits. Be sure bulbs stay dry.

• Gopher control -- Spray Mole-Med to keep gophers away from tulip and hyacinth bulbs. Follow instructions exactly for best results! We also have Digger Root Guards to protect bulbs. All daffodils and Dutch iris are gopher and deer proof.

• Remember to amend soil with Master Nursery Gold Rush and to broadcast Master Nursery Bulb Food when planting. You can also add Master Nursery Bulb Food to individual bulb holes. The general rule of thumb for the depth of the hole is three times the depthof the bulb.

Special tip from Ed: For a different touch -- Plant a couple of dozen or more spring starflower (Iphion) bulbs 1 inch deep in the lawn and forget about them. They will come up, bloom, and blend in with the grass year after year.

• Dig gladiolus bulbs this month.  Dry bulbs on a tarp or in paper bags, then rinse in a solution of 9 parts water to 1 part bleach.  When dry, dust with sulfur, then store in paper bags in a cool spot away from moisture. 

• If your dahlia roots are multiplying like rabbits, or if they have not been dug up for the last two years, dig them up now, leave soil on the roots, and store them in very slightly moist sawdust or Master Forest Blend.  In the spring, separate them and replant. See our Dahlia Care Guide.

• Don't repot your Cymbidium orchids until they finish blooming:  the dwarfs by January and the standards by May.

• See our Spring Bulbs Care Guide  for more helpful hints.

FRUIT TREES

• Preorder Bareroot Fruit Trees! Paid orders receive a 10% discount if ordered before November 30!  Click here to view the complete selection of Bareroot Fruit Trees.

• Mark your calendars now for Wegman's Annual Fruit Tree Pruning Seminar and Demonstration at the Nursery -- Sunday, January 10, 2010 from 1-3pm.

• If peach or nectarine trees were infected with peach leaf curl during past seasons, you must spray three times during the dormant season with a copper product that contains at least 80% copper. The first spray should occur at the end of this month then again, the end of December and the end of January. Use Microcop and Sta-Stuk (a product which maximizes the adhesion and longevity of the copper spray). Research at UC Davis supports that copper is the most effective control against peach leaf curl.  Lime sulphur can also be used.

• Brown rot and bacterial canker of apricots, peaches, nectarines, plums and cherries, manifest as dieback of and/or oozing from short fruiting spurs or branch tips and a decrease or absence of fruit production.  While it is too late to spray for this disease this year, next year apply two additional sprays of Daconil (Ortho Garden Disease Control) at pink bud and full bloom.  When pruning this fall or winter, you should remove dead wood, oozing wood and any wood with cankers.(See our Care Guides on specific fruit trees on this website)

• Wait until at least the end of November to begin pruning deciduous fruit trees. Wait until at least March and April to prune citrus.

• Cut back caneberries, such as blackberries and raspberries, now. Prune to the ground canes which fruited this summer. The new canes will fruit next summer and should be tied up if necessary.

• Do not fertilize deciduous fruit trees until next spring (Valentine's Day) even if you forgot the fall treatment. Normally you will fertilize about Memorial Day and Labor Day.

• Fireblight appears as blackened leaves and stems and most commonly affects pears. It also can affect loquat, cotoneaster, pyracantha, apples, photinia, and some other plants in the rose family. To control, cut 9 to 12 inches below  affected tissue, sterilizing pruning tools between each cut with rubbing alcohol, a bleach solution or Lysol.

• Check apple and pear trees for woolly apple aphids which have been particularly bad this year. They appear as a white cottony substance, usually in crevices, old pruning cuts and on the roots close to the base of the tree. Spray with Malathion or Sevin if present.

• Select and plant citrus now.

• Check citrus for snail damage and for scale, a sucking insect that usually clusters along fruit stems, new growth and the undersides of leaves. If scale is found, spray tree with a mixture of horticultural oil and Malathion. Two weeks later make a second application. Don’t use horticultural oil more than 4 times during the growing season. Wait at least 2 weeks between applications. Ants running up and down the citrus trunk indicates an infestation of scale, aphids or mealy bugs.

• If you find snails in your citrus trees,  sprinkle Sluggo or Master Nursery Pest-Fighter for Slugs and Snails between the trunk and dripline of the tree. An effective, non-toxic alternative is to attach a 2-inch double copper band around the tree trunk, one foot above the soil level after picking all the snails from the tree.

GROUNDCOVERS

• If you want to create a meadow of wildflowers, now’s the time to prepare the soil and sow the seeds. Look under the ANNUALS heading for more specific instructions.

• Erigeron, Convolvulus, Creeping Rosemary, Ceanothus and Manzanita are excellent groundcovers for hot, dry locations (though they do need water while becoming established). Blue Star Creeper, Woolly Thyme and Creeping Chamomile fill in nicely between stepping stones in full to part sun and are able to withstand some foot traffic. For the shade, try Campanula, Sweet Woodruff and Vinca Minor.

• To ward off slugs and snails, bait with Sluggo (safe for pets and people) or Master Nursery Pest-Fighter for Slugs and Snails, available in powder and pellet form.

LAWNS

• Begin fertilizing lawns with Master Nursery Fall & Winter Feed. This formula contains nitrate nitrogen which is more easily assimilated by grass under cooler conditions. For organic alternatives, try Dr. Earth Lawn Fertilizer or Concern Weed Prevention Plus.

• Over seed Bermuda lawns with annual ryegrass now for a green lawn through the winter.

• Lawn seeded through November may need moisture up to 2 times a day so that germinating plants do not dry out. 

• Re-set mowers to 1.5 to 2 inches for fescue and bluegrass lawns and 1 to 1.5 inches for Bermuda grass lawns. Consider leaving lawn clippings on the lawn. As clippings break down, they provide the lawn with  nutrients, reducing the need for fertilizers by 30-50%. Clippings will not cause thatch.

• If you have had problems with weedy grasses in your lawn, now and again in February is the time to apply Concern Weed Prevention Plus, which is a fertilizer containing a pre-emergent that targets weedy grasses. Remember that pre-emergent weed killers will only prevent weed seeds from sprouting and have no effect on established perennial weeds.

• If you haven't dethatched your lawn in the last year or two, now is the time to do it to take advantage of the winter rains. Dethatching removes old grass stems, grass growing sideways and dead plant material.

• Crab grass has been a major problem for some gardeners this year. Crab grass is an annual that makes and spreads thousands of seeds. It has a wide leaf and lays flat on the lawn, smothering your regular lawn grass. Trimec Plus will kill the crabgrass and any other weeds in your lawn but will not harm the regular lawn grass. When the crab grass is dead you rake it off and then reseed the bare spots.

• If lawns show raccoon or lawn moth damage, apply Grub Control. (Lawn moth damage appears as scattered dead spots throughout the lawn, and raccoon damage appears as torn spots in the lawn.) Although it is too late to use Beneficial Nematodes, consider applying them next April and July. For more information on Beneficial Nematodes see our Care Guide.  Beneficial nematodes are microscopic organisms which consume various destructive soil-dwelling insects. They do not harm  earthworms and are safe around pets and people. Critter Ridder can be sprinkled on the lawn and has been fairly effective in discouraging raccoons.

PERENNIALS

• For fall color, check out Nemesia, Mexican Marigold, Lion’s Tail, butterfly weed, the asters, and garden mums. Many of the summer bloomers such as the salvias, penstemon and verbena will also  stay in color through fall. To brighten up the rainy months, plant marguerites now. These short-lived ( 2-3 years) perennials offer year-round pink, white or yellow blooms and generally withstand colder spells in our winters.

• Be sure to deadhead as blooms fade to ensure bloom throughout fall.

• Plant foxglove, columbine, and bleeding heart now before month's end. These spring-bloomers promise to gain bulk this fall and increase their show in the spring.

• Most of the ornamental grasses are in flower. Check out  Blue Oat Grass, Mexican Feather Grass, Rattlesnake Grass, Feather Reed Grass, and Bamboo Muhly. Grasses lend an architecture and texture to the landscape unmatched by other plants. They are also drought-tolerant and deer-resistant. For additional plants that are Deer-resistant click here. Cut back tall grasses (Feather Grasses,etc.) by the end of November and fertilize with Master Nursery Formula 49 fertilizer.

• A nice handful of sun-loving perennials which double as both deer-resistant and drought-tolerant plants are: lavender, yarrow, the Salvias, Echinacea, sea lavender, society garlic, Penstemon, and Brachycome.  All provide excellent summer and fall color in addition to these practical attributes. For additional plants that are Deer-resistant click here.

• To control Bermuda grass and crabgrass and other weedy grasses in ornamental beds, try Grass-Getter or Weed Stopper. For Bermuda in lawns, use Turflon Ester and for crabgrass in lawns use Trimec Plus.

• Bait perennials with Sluggo or Master Nursery Pest-Fighter for Slugs & Snails.

ROSES

• Easy Does It--Orange-apricot floribunda, ruffled petals, bushy medium sized
• Mark your calendars now for Wegman's Annual Rose Pruning Seminar - Sunday, January 17, 2010 from 1-3pm at Roosevelt Community Center and Rose Garden.

• Wait until late December or early January to begin pruning roses.

• Don't fertilize roses again until spring.

• Don’t deadhead your rugosa roses: beautiful hips will develop and adorn plants through winter.

• Aphids can be controlled by blasting off with water or by spraying with Safer Yard & Garden Insect Killer. You can also use Malathion or Horticultural Oil.

• Watch for katydids and cucumber beetles, both of which chew on flower buds, leaving holes in flower petals. Treat as for aphids with sprays as needed.

• Do not spray herbicides such as Round-Up within 100 feet of roses. If weeds appear in rose beds, hand-dig or use a tool such as a hula-hoe to remove.

• Powdery Mildew appears as whitish splotches on the surface of leaves and on buds and stems. To control, use Safer Garden Fungicide or wettable sulphur. If these measures aren’t satisfactory,  use Ortho Rose Pride or Daconil, but at this late date when the roses are about to lose all their leaves anyway, don't bother spraying.

• Rust appears as small yellow to black spots on the upper surface of leaves, which, when flipped, show rust-colored pustules. Use Ortho Rose Pride or Daconil to control. Same advice as for mildew.

• Leaves with any disease should not be composted.  Instead dispose of them in the trash pick up.

SHRUBS & VINES

• To promote bud development in rhododendrons, Camellia japonica and azaleas, fertilize now with Master Nursery Master Bloom (0-10-10). Camellia show people add a bit of blood meal at this time.

• If your gardenias show brown buds which drop off before opening, the cause is probably thrips. Use Monterey Garden Insect Spray with Spinosad every month to control. Keep in mind that gardenias need an acid soil. Mulch yearly with Master Nursery Gold Rush and apply Iron Plus every other month. Actually, gardenias grow and bloom best in containers with 6-8 hours of full sun.

• Four of the fastest growing shrubs for hedges and screens are Black-twig Pittosporum, Pittosporum Eugenoides, Red-tip Photinia and purple hopseed bush. Left unpruned, each will reach approximately 20 feet tall and wide but each can be maintained at 6 to 8 feet if desired. Remember to prune newly planted hedges seasonally, even if lightly. This will encourage plants to be bushy and dense.

• Watch for evidence of thrips and black vine weevil on rhododendrons and azaleas.. Thrips damage appears as a mottling or bleaching of the upper surfaces of leaves and small, glossy black dots on the undersides of leaves. Weevils leave distinctive notches along leaf margins as they feed. Both can be controlled with Monterey Garden Insect Spray. The weevils can also be controlled with beneficial nematodes applied in April.

• Azaleas--If the flowers on your Azaleas turned brown last year, spray the buds with Triforine or Chlorothalonil before they begin to show color (Ortho Rose Pride, or Ortho Garden Disease Control).

TREES

Now is the time to select trees for their fall color -- 

REDS: Chinese Tallow, Dogwood, Scarlet Maple varieties. Some reds that flash orange as well are Chinese Pistachio, Crape Myrtle, and Liquidambar Palo Alto or L. Festival.

YELLOWS: Ginkgo, Birch, Fruitless Mulberry, Golden Rain Tree and Liquidambar varieties. 

BURGUNDY: Raywood Ash, Flowering Pear, and Liquidambar Burgundy.

JAPANESE MAPLES: Famous for their brilliant fall colors. The red-leaf Japanese maple varieties such as Bloodgood and Moonfire display bright scarlet tones. Acer palmatum, the wild species, displays unmatched bright red, yellow and orange tones. Coral Bark Maple produces bright yellow leaves.

• Be sure to dispose of leaves infected with powdery mildew in trash bins. Do not compost! Most of our home compost piles reach sufficient temperatures to break down food and yard waste but not the temperatures (140°F+) required to destroy harmful fungi and bacteria.

• In both San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, the olive fruit fly has infested many olive trees, rendering fruit unusable for home curing. If you’re thinking of home curing olives, be sure to have fruit checked for maggots. Next year, use Monterey Garden Insect Spray in conjunction with Olive Fruit Fly Traps and Lures. The traps detect the fly so you know when to spray.

• If you are considering having specimen trees pruned, we strongly encourage you to seek certified arborists. While you will pay more for their work, you can be assured that the longevity of your  trees will not be compromised by poor practices such as topping.

• If you have a particularly valuable or important Coast Live Oak Tree on your property, you probably should have it sprayed to prevent Sudden Oak Death. This is especially true if you also have California Bay Laurel trees on the property or live near forested areas such as Huddart Park or Woodside. You can have the work done by reputable firms or do it yourself. The only product listed to spray for this disease is Agri-Fos which has recently been approved for sale and is now available at Wegman's.

VEGETABLES AND HERBS

• Before ripping out tomatoes, harvest any green tomatoes. To ripen, place in boxes and store in a cool spot. Be sure tomatoes do not touch one another. Check frequently, discarding any fruits that show discolored soft spots or mold. They will get red but not be as flavorful as your vine ripened ones. If you nestle a couple of bananas among the tomatoes and cover with a newspaper, they will ripen faster.

• Some gardeners were disappointed with their tomato crops this year. Poor results were probably due to our erratic weather. If day time temperatures go over 90 degrees (we had lots of that), the flowers won't pollinate. If the night time temperatures drop below 55 degrees, (we also had some of that), the flowers drop off. In either case, there will be no tomatoes on that part of the bush. Another possibility is that your tomato bushes could have gotten Verticillium Wilt.

• Plant your winter garden. Prepare soil by covering it with 1 to 2 inches of Master Nursery Gold Rush and scattering Master Nursery Master Start at the rate of 10 pounds per 500 square feet. Dig or till  in to 6 to 8 inches unless you have been using the garden regularly, then no tiling is necessary. It's okay to rake Gold Rush in an inch or two.

• Plant onion seedlings from cell-packs or from bunches of 25. Prepare beds by adding 1 to 2 inches of  Master Nursery Gold Rush and double-digging or rototilling to 8 to 10 inches unless the garden has been used regularly (see above). You can also buy sets, which should be planted now.

• Cool season greens, such as lettuce, spinach, cilantro, chard, and mustard can be planted by seed or from starts at this time. See our Winter Vegetable Gardening Care Guide. Plant these vegetables at two or three week intervals so they don't ripen all at once.

• Herbs (biennial and perennial) can be planted now to become established for spring and summer harvest. Plant: chives, cilantro, marjoram, oregano, parsley, rosemary, thyme and sage. Remember that marjoram, oregano, rosemary, thyme and sage are shrubs and should have a permanent, sunny place.)  See our Herbs Care Guide.

• Plant cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and the rest of the cole crops from starts, spacing them 12-18 inches apart. Try kohlrabi and bok choy for deliciously different tastes. Rutabaga, parsnips and the other root vegetables can also be planted now from seed. See our Winter Vegetable Gardening Care Guide.

• When string beans have finished, replace them with your favorite peas from seed. Plant 2 to 3 seeds in each hole, about 12 inches apart. Bush peas will bear sooner but pole peas will bear more pods for  a longer time. Peas can also be planted from starts at this time. Be sure to plant in 12 inch intervals.

• If you have small potatoes  (1 to 2 inch diameter) left from your summer crop, they can be planted now to provide potatoes early next year.

•Cole crops, especially Brussels Sprouts, are very susceptible to aphids and cabbage butterfly caterpillars. Control caterpillars with Monterey Garden Insect Spray and aphids with horticultural soap or Malathion.

•If you decide to not have a winter garden, seed the area with a cover crop of leguminous plants (Fava beans, peas, etc.).

Special Services available from Wegmans. . .

Ideas for special situations . . .