How to take care of your garden in autumn

How to take care of the garden in autumn

Autumn is the season when you need to prepare your garden’s lawn, shrubs, ornamental trees and/or fruit trees to put them in the best conditions to face the winter.

Taking care of the garden in autumn – photo Getty Images

The interventions to be carried out are as follows:

• cleaning
• prevention of fungal diseases and parasite attacks
• pruning
• frost protection
• basic fertilization.

Cleaning the garden in autumn

After the last cut of the grass in October, we need to take care of remove all dead parts from the shrubs, then dry branches or damaged, dry leaves present on the ground, as well as eradicate weedsif there are any (for example, couch grass, weeds and pabio).

If our green space includes fruit trees, we must eliminate the dry branches and remove the fruits from the ground fallen to the ground.

Collecting dry branches and leaves for a thorough autumn cleanup – Getty Images

This operation may seem trivial but it is fundamental, because it not only performs the function of reorganization of the garden, but rather contributes to protect it.

In fact, the spores of fungal diseases can overwinter inside rotten fruits that have fallen to the ground or among piles of dry leaves.

For this reason, while waiting to have this cleaning done, we do not insert these materials into the composter as we could risk infecting all the compost.

Protecting Your Garden From Fungal Diseases in the Fall

To prevent the formation of fungal diseasessuch as scab, fire blight or peach curl, in autumn we must intervene with the mush Bordeauxan effective fungicide recognized and permitted in organic farming.

This is a copper substancethat is, copper-based, capable of interfering with the proliferation of parasites that can lead to infecting the plant.

It is composed of: copper hydroxide, combinations of cupric oxide and chloride, copper gluconate and blue vitriol.

This treatment is recommended for both fruit trees and ornamental plants.

Copper Fungicide 50 by Il Paese Verde also available on Amazon

We can buy a good fungicide, like Copper 50 in the photo above, even on Amazon.

How to apply fungicide to plants

We must always carefully read the instructions for its application, and the aspect to which we must pay the most attention is undoubtedly the dosage of the product, as the quantities to be dilute in water vary according to the type of plant.

In any case, this product should be applied sparingly, without never overdo it thinking of giving the plant more protection, as it contains copper which is a heavy metal.

The application of the fungicide must be carried out spraying abundantly both the trunk and the leaves above and below, as well as the soil at the base of the plant.

The product is in the form of dustit should therefore be dissolved in water, preferably lukewarm.

After that it must be diluted inside a spray pump with which it will be sprayed on the plants in the garden.

How to keep pests away from our garden

The main enemies of plants are aphids, cochineal insects o bedbugs.

In autumn they are still active because they are preparing to face the winter, but we can effectively intervene on their nymphs (the insect in its primordial stage).

To prevent them from proliferating on the bark of trees or among the dry leaves of our garden, we must intervene with a mineral oil based insecticide.

Stink bugs are among the main pests that can attack plants – photo Getty Images

Excellent results can also be obtained by using vegetable oils based on rapeseed oil.

Rapeseed oil is particularly thick and acts as an insecticide and acaricide.

This product works by covering the nymphs of aphids and scale insects and eliminating them by asphyxiation.

Whether you choose to spray a mineral oil-based insecticide or choose rapeseed oil, you will have achieved the zero parasites goal with a minimal environmental impact.

Pruning plants in autumn

Autumn is the time of year when it is good to take care of the pruning which consists of theremovaltotal or partial, of dry branches, in the elimination of any diseased parts, in uprooting roots if necessary.

All this is aimed at make the plant stronger in view of the cold months.

Autumn pruning is essential to strengthen plants and hedges – Getty Images photo

Some examples of plants, often protagonists in our gardens, which benefit greatly from this intervention are: oleander, roses, beech, oak, birch, willow, cypress, hedges of evergreen shrubs, fruit trees such as raspberries, blackberries, lemons, and grape vines.

Protecting plants from frost in autumn

Although many plants tolerate cold well, it is always advisable to protect their base with a mulch layer.

This intervention aims to protect the roots from frost extended until the mild temperatures of spring return.

Mulching to protect plants from frost – Pinterest photo

This is an ancient practice, simple but effective, which consists of covering the ground on which the tree stands using various types of materials.

The important thing is that these materials meet these characteristics:

• must be ORDER to allow the passage of air and water into the underlying layers of soil;
• must be light so as not to suffocate the soil;
• must have the right consistency to remain crumbly even if wet from rain or humidity.

We can resort to polyethylene or non-woven fabric sheets or opt for the barkwhich is light, economical and biodegradable or for the volcanic lapilli.

Fertilizing the garden in autumn

The last step to perform is the basic fertilization in the garden.

This operation is used for restore resources that the hedges and trees, both fruit trees and decorative ones, have consumed during the summer months so that they prepare the buds that we will then discover next spring.

For each type of plant, there is the most appropriate fertilizer.

For example, for the fruit plants It is advisable to use an organic fertilizer such as Pelleted manure which has the peculiarity of improving the humus content, the fertility of the soil.

An organo-mineral fertilizer is also fine, therefore enriched with mineral elements such as potassium and zinc.

To fertilize the hedges (laurel, bay laurel, cherry laurel, privet) you need to use a mineral fertilizer specific for hedges rich in iron and magnesium.