Stan Ring, horticulture program assistant at K-State Research and Extension in Douglas County, will chat about preparing your garden for the winter.

Moderator

Hi, everybody. I’m Terry Rombeck, a features writer at the Journal-World, and I’ll be moderating our chat today. Stan Ring is here to answer your gardening questions.

Stan Ring

Hello, Stan Ring here. Keep the questions easy for me.

Moderator

Let’s get the questions started.

hipper_than_hip

I’ve heard that I should just leave my garden fallow for winter, and I’ve heard that I should rake everything together, burn it, spread compost or manure, and plow it under. Which is correct?

Stan Ring

Gardens, in fact and flower bed as well, benefits from organic material. Raking up and burning is not reccomended. If you have vines / tomatoes discard them. Till in grass or leaves now and they will have some chance to decompose before the freeze. If you use manure make sure it has been composted.

consumer1

I have another question regarding placement of table scraps in a garden please. I don’t think old meat is good for a garden, but how about veggie scraps?? Thank you.

Stan Ring

Meat is not good. Veggies are great but it is best if you till them in as you add them or at least bury them to keep animals out.

consumer1

Thanks for taking my question. I have heard differing opinions about tilling in the fall vs. waiting till spring. what are your thoughts?

Stan Ring

Best to till in the Fall. The ground is drier and easier to work. Thawing and freezing and the break up of the soil is beneficial.

Bassetlover

I have lots of pruning to do on many of my perennials (viburnum, yellow bark dogwood, wiegela, lilacs, forsythia) that got too bushy over the summer. Can I do it now or should I wait til spring? If I wait til spring, should I do it before or after they bloom….perhaps in early in March? I would prefer to do it now and get it over with.

Stan Ring

Spring bloomers need to be trimmed in the spring just after bloom. If trimmed before, summer or now in the fall they will not bloom in the Spring. All others can be trimmed now.

mseybold

When is the best time to transplant young trees (1-2 years old) and what is the best method for doing so?

Stan Ring

Now is a good time to transplant trees. A 2 year old tree will have a big root ball – try and get as much as you can. Hand digging will work but it is work.

Ragingbear

Although not a garden in the strictest sense, I have several rubber trees, ferns, spider plants, and mini-herb gardens that I kept outside all summer. However, with the frost coming, I have had to bring them it at night. This raises two issues. What is the best way to make sure they have enough light? And what would you suggest to keep my cats from eating them?

Stan Ring

Place them near East or Southern exposure window is a good start. Know that in no way will they get enough light to flourish, but they will live. Keep them watered but hold back on fertilizer.

There are, I believe, sprays on the market to dissuade animals.

Ceee

I have a Korean lilac on a stick (a bush trimmed to look like a lollipop) which is dying. I need height where the lilac is, but a tree would be too big for the space. What are my replacement options? I’d want something that is 4-5 feet tall, but not very wide.

Stan Ring

There are so many choices and it is really personal preference. Pick one with the leaf and flowering habit you like. Is it shade or sun – wet or dry?

Moderator

What else should people be doing this time of the year for their gardens?

Stan Ring

Now is the time to clean up your garden beds. Many insects and some fungi will overwinter in the dead foliage and cause problems in the spring.

Leaves should be raked or mowed off of new grass plantings to let light in. On an established lawn wait till the last have fallen.

Bring in any plant that will not accomodate our winters.

PLAN for next year.

Moderator

That’s all for today’s chat. Thanks to Stan for coming in today. If you have further questions, Stan says you can contact him at sring1@olznet.ksu.edu or 843-7058.

Stan Ring

Good luck in all your Garden endeavors.