Local Nursery Owner Gives Fall Plant Tips

(KNSI) – Steady drought conditions now could affect the plants in your yard next spring unless you take steps today.

Woods Farmer Seed and Nursery Owner Tom Woods says stress on shrubs and trees, even grass, just before they enter survival mode to get through winter poses significant problems.

“That’s the worst thing for the plant to do is to go into dormancy dry. [You] need to water those plants themselves, lawn, small trees, shrubs, perennials. It’s really important.”

Another common yard care treatment is aerating. Woods says the fall is a great time to do so, especially if you have heavy soil. The root system of a lawn has trouble growing through clay and other thick, compact dirt. Woods says using plugs and gypsum yields the best results.

Maple trees and lilacs in the Saint Cloud area have been attacked in recent years by disease. Woods says you will notice the leaves turn black and become spotted, then shrivel up. It may also affect whether there are flower blooms. Woods says both plants can be protected in the spring.

“Come April, next April, put it on your calendar now. There is a product that can help to prevent this from happening. It is a dormant oil spray. You spray the wood tissue of the plant. And this is for insects and some diseases too on plants themselves.”

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