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Monthly Gardening Tips / November
Planning:
- Have soil tested at a local cooperative
extension service to determine pH and nutritional
levels
Chores and Maintenance:
- Continue to thoroughly water trees, shrubs,
lawn areas and planting beds until ground
freezes
- Complete removal of fallen leaves and debris
to protect from overwintering of insects and
disease organisms
- Cut back perennials to 4-5", but leave ornamental
grasses to provide winter interest until spring
- Mulch boxwood and broad-leaved evergreens
before ground freezes
- Mulch flower beds to keep soil temperature
stable and prevent winter injury from frost
heaving
- Provide burlap windbreaks for boxwood and
broad-leaved evergreens. Install stakes before
ground freezes
- Protect trees from mouse damage with wire
mesh trunk guards
- Protect shrubs from deer with burlap or
netting
- Mow lawn one final time to a height of 1½-2"
- Aerate soil around rose roots and hill up
the earth 10-12" around the crown after a
heavy frost
- Continue to feed birds
Planting:
- Continue to plant deciduous trees and shrubs
until the ground freezes
- Complete planting spring-flowering bulbs
- Propagate deciduous shrubs such as hydrangea,
viburnum and weigela; and evergreens such
as ilex, juniperus, and taxus
- Pot hardy spring bulbs for indoor forcing
Pruning/Fertilizing:
- Fertilize trees and shrubs before the ground
freezes so that food is available to plants
in early spring
- Incorporate lime and fertilizer in the annual
and vegetable gardens for next growing season
- Complete pruning of late-blooming trees
and shrubs
- Prune early spring-flowering shrubs only
to remove diseased or damaged branches to
preserve buds
Indoors:
- Give houseplants as much light as possible
as lower light days begin
- Continue to let up on fertilizing indoor
plants until spring
- Provide houseplants with increased humidity;
mist often or place plants over a tray of
moist pebbles
- Pot up prepared bulbs for indoor forcing
- Begin to increase the time between waterings
but do not cut back on the amount of water
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