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Forthcoming events

Jobs for October and November

Jobs for October and November

General gardening jobs

• If you can avoid the unsettled weather (!?) there’s still time to get the greenhouse ready for winter! Remove plants on a dry day/ place somewhere sheltered and clean thoroughly throughout. Then use an insecticide candle to kill any residual pests (otherwise they’d over-winter in the greenhouse!). Once safe from the effects of the insecticide candle insulate the greenhouse with bubble-foam and put the plants back into the greenhouse together with any Geraniums, Fuchsias and Begonias still outside in pots.

• As soon as you can pot the Geraniums and Fuchsias up in multi-purpose compost as soon as you can – removing damaged leaves, flowers and cutting Fuchsias to half their height. On cold nights it always worth covering them with a layer of fleece.

• Remove any annual summer bedding from borders, pots and baskets. Compost from pots can be put on the garden and the foliage in the compost bin.

• Buy suitable winter bedding – Winter Pansies/ Violas - and bulbs for pots. Use multi-purpose and John Innes (2 to 1 ratio) mixed with slow release fertiliser when potting them up

• Climbing roses – the side shoots on non-flowering shoots can be cut back to two shoots. Leave any with still bearing flowers until later.

• If you can avoid treading on the lawns that will be very wet following the recent heavy rain.

• Look out for and buy bulbs for the garden. If you can’t plant them soon place them somewhere cool and out of direct sunlight.

• It may be difficult to plant bulbs in the current unsettled weather so why not trying planting them in pots? If you can mix multi-purpose compost and John Innes compost and add slow-release fertilisers.

• Cut Budleja and Hybrid & Floribunda Rose stems to half their height to prevent the wind from rocking them in the ground and allowing frost to get into the roots later.

• When it’s had a chance to dry out rake off leaves from the lawn .. otherwise leave the lawn alone – cutting it when it’s wet will do more harm than good.

• Try and use the many leaves now falling in your garden to make leaf mould (see the October Newsletter)!

• If you haven’t already carefully dig out any Dahlias you have. Cut the stems off – the foliage can go in the compost bin/ heaps – leaving 6 inches (15cm) of stem at the bottom above the tubers. Place the tuber upside down somewhere frost-free so any water in the stems can drain out. After a few weeks then they can be the put upright in a tray/ shallow box covered by multi-purpose compost to prevent the tubers from drying out.

Do you have a question? Send us an email: info@mersthamhorti.org.uk.

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