Gardening Calendar - Colorado State University Extension Tri River Area Mesa Delta Montrose Ouray Counties

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Week 1
The Dial-a-Garden Message (970 244-1706) provides additional gardening information on a weekly basis. Diazinon is no longer legal as an insecticide spray for apples and pears. Be sure to check the waiting period on the product label to ensure you wait the proper number of days before you harvest and consume the fruit. Waiting periods vary based on the ingredients in the spray. Waiting the proper number of days will help allow the residue of the pesticide to degrade so you won't ingest toxic quantities of these products when you eat the fruit.	Garlic should be harvested when the tops wither and dry. Pull the complete plant, let the top dry, then braid them together and hang in a dry area for winter use. Save some of the mature cloves for planting in October or November.	As the weather cools, cool season grasses (Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue and perennial ryegrass) will begin to grow faster. Mowing will be needed more often to ensure that the grass is not stressed. No more than one-third of the grass blade should be removed at each mowing. Continue to maintain the grass at the same cutting height as during the summer.	Even though lawns grow faster in the fall they will need less water than during the summer. Adjust your lawn watering accordingly. Several species of large caterpillars will be found wandering about the landscapes. These are usually fully grown, have stopped eating and are looking for a place to pupate for the winter.	A light application of a lawn fertilizer (one-half rate) can be applied now if needed. The final application of lawn fertilizer should be applied between late October and mid December. Applying too much fertilizer now will increase the need to mow and may increase disease problems.	Peas, lettuce, spinach and other cold-hardy vegetables can be seeded now for a late fall crop. Radishes can be planted and harvested several times during fall as they are often ready to harvest and eat within two to three weeks of seeding.	Trees and shrubs should receive little water during September and October to allow them to acclimate for the winter. Damage by the second generation of the Pear slug will begin to appear on cherry, cotoneaster, and pear in early September.
Week 2
Large paper nests of hornets may be seen in trees and shrubs. Care should be used when working around the nests of these beneficial insects. Damage by slugs will increase in gardens as a result of the cooler temperatures.	Onions can be dried and braided together like garlic. Onions with thick necks or double tops should be used first. They do not store well.	Fall is an excellent time to seed or sod a lawn to cool-season grasses. Preparing the soil properly is critical to success. Do not apply weed killers to newly seeded lawns; wait until the new grass has been mown at least twice before spraying for weeds. Sodded lawns can be treated for weeds as soon as the weeds are noticed. Pears should be harvested while still green and allowed to ripen off the tree. Pears allowed to ripen on the tree often develop a grainy consistency.	Glyphosate (Roundup, Kleenup, Rattler, Ranger, etc.) applied to the grass around the base of a tree or shrub will eliminate the need to use a string weeder or lawnmower close to these plants.	Damage caused to trees and shrubs by string weeders or lawn mowers can result in plant death. After the grass has died and dried out apply a bark mulch. Do NOT get glyphosate on the green bark or suckers of trees or shrubs! Always follow label directions.	Herbicides designed to kill broadleaf weeds (dandelion, plantain, etc.) are more effective if applied in the fall. The chemical is more likely to move into the roots and kill these weeds.	Cat-face and garden spiders reach full size at this time of year and will be seen throughout the garden. These are beneficial and non-poisonous.
Week 3
Gourds for winter indoor decorations should be harvested before they are harmed by frost. As soon as their foliage has been slightly frosted, lift and prepare Dahlias, Cannas, tuberous Begonias, Gladioli, Tigridias, Montbretias, Tuberoses and other tender bulbs for winter storage.	Houseplants that were placed outdoors for the summer should be cleaned up and taken back into the home for the winter. Dead leaves and stems should be removed and soil adhering to the outside of the pot should be removed to help prevent taking unwanted creatures back into the home.	If you missed the July and August treatments for the Peach Tree borer on stone fruit trees, now would be the time to fumigate the root system of these trees with para-dichlorobenzene PDB.	Christmas Cherries and Christmas Peppers planted in your garden should be lifted and carefully potted in the smallest pots that will contain their roots. Keep these newly potted plants in a greenhouse for a week or so after potting and then gradually accustom them to the conditions of the home where they will provide showy color for much of the winter.	The Black Willow Aphid and other large aphids will develop and feed on the twigs and stems of willows, oaks and aspen. A forceful stream of water will help knock these off the trees and provide some control.	Soil samples should be collected now for testing. Don't wait until spring to have a soil test done.	Winter squash and pumpkins should be harvested before the first frost. Winter squash and pumpkin will keep well if the rind is hard (can't be cut with a fingernail) and has no open cut or bruises. A portion of the stem should be left attached to the fruit.
Week 4
Parsley, Chives and other herbs can be dug, potted and moved into the kitchen for use as houseplants and seasoning during the winter. Begonia, Geraniums and Coleus can be dug out of the garden and potted as houseplants. Cut these plants back half-way before taking into the home for the winter. Other houseplants set out during the summer should be cleaned of all debris prior to taking back into the home.	Area of gardens and fields with infestations of Dodder (Cuscuta and Grammica spp.) should be marked now so that you will know where to apply a pre emergent herbicide next spring to control this string-like yellow parasite.	The pruning of shrubs should be avoided during the fall, except to remove dead wood. Junipers pruned or sheared in the fall are more likely to suffer damage from `winter burn'.	The pruning of roses should be delayed until spring. Pruning roses in the fall increases the chances of winter dehydration. The only exception is with tall hybrid tea roses that are whipping in the wind, and even then prune no lower than three feet above the ground.	Fall is a good time to plant trees and shrubs. Watering monthly during dry, open winters will help ensure survival. Do not add fertilizer to the backfill or planting hole. Fertilizer can stimulate plant growth and result in winter damage to the plant.	Hardy, spring blooming bulbs and corms can be planted now. Discard any that are rotting or insect infested. Work the soil deeper than you plan on planting the bulbs.	White grubs will begin to move down into the soil to over-winter. These grubs will move back up in the spring to continue feeding on the roots of grass plants.
Week 5
Box-elder bugs, spiders and other such creatures will begin to move into the home as the weather cools. Caulking cracks under doors and window sills and repairing broken screens will help keep these pests out of the home.	Plant Narcissi of the Paper White, Soleil d'Or, and Chinese Sacred Lily varieties in bowls of fiber, pebbles and water, or in pots of soil for fall and winter color. These are tender plants and will need to be kept indoors in a cool area with good light.