Over the years from various sources, we have compiled a lot of helpful information. Here are the weekly tips first found in our newsletters, along with plants and products that we have spotlighted. We include practices developed here at The Natural Gardener and by other gardening experts.

October

2004

Start Planting Your Winter Garden
It is time to come visit us and get all the plants and seeds you need to grow your veggies. Transplants of broccoli, kale, cabbage, chard, mustard, pak choi, lettuce and many other greens should begin to go out now. Make sure to give them a good start in life with healthy soil and organic fertilizers. If they are in full sun, you may want to give them a little shade when you first set them out and until the heat starts to go down. Seeds for lettuce, carrots, beets, turnips, peas, mustard, spinach, and other winter veggies can be started now.

2003

Toxic Plants
We want to remind people that plants can be dangerous to people and pets. Many plants are not meant to be consumed, part or all of a plant maybe poisonous. If your dog, cat or child tends to eat vegetation it is best to keep the plants in an area where you are sure that they will not be chewed. Every animal is different in what they will taste. This reminder was prompted by a sad incident that we heard of where several dogs chewed on a Sego Palm and got very sick. It is very unusual for an animal to choose to eat a sego palm (deer won’t eat them), but it shows that different animals have different taste. There are many lists on the Internet (www.aspca.org has a great list of plants toxic to animals) with names of poisonous plants (be aware that Sego Palm was not listed on several sites so these lists not always complete). Some animals are also attracted to fertilizers and foliar feeds such as fish emulsion. If your animal tends to like the taste of these, keep them away from newly sprayed vegetation.

Brown Patch
Brown Patch - does your yard get a big, ugly, brown, dead spots every fall? If so, you probably have brown patch. It is a fungal disease that thrives in wet cool weather in St. Augustine grass. It starts as yellowish grass leaves that separate easily from the stolon with a gentle tug, which can be rotting at the base. It often occurs in low-lying areas where water drainage is poor.
There are several things that can be done to prevent and treat brown patch. A treatment of corn meal at the rate of 20# per 1,000 square feet will often prevent or treat a light case of brown patch. A really infected area or an area that appears year after year should be treated with a product called Actinovate. Actinovate contains a beneficial microorganism streptomyces lydicus that colonizes on the root system to shield the plant against environmental hazards. It creates hardier, more robust plants and lawns and will enable them to fend of pest and disease, including the dreaded brown patch. With any treatment, be sure to treat out beyond the margins of the visible disease

Physical changes can also be made on the lawn to help it recover or prevent brown patch. Affected area should lightly have some of the thatch raked up and removed. (Yes, this is one time you want to bag your clippings and ship it off to the landfill.) The area can then be aerated. Apply a thin layer of compost. If the affected area is a low-lying spot, build up the area by adding a half-inch layer of compost mixed 50/50 with sand twice a year. Even better is to mix some cornmeal in with the compost and sand.

See our October To-Do List

See our October Articles: Reflections on Life and Organic Gardening

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