Field and Garden: Is your lawn ready for winter?

The days are getting shorter, and temperatures are dropping. It’s time to get lawn and garden chores wrapped up for the year.

The good news is that raking leaves can be crossed off your “to do” list.

New research is showing that if we use a mulching lawnmower, there will be no adverse effects from mowing up to six inches of leaves into the lawn.

It may take several passes with the mower to have the proper effect. There shouldn’t be a mat of leaves laying on top of the grass during winter.

When finely chopped, the leaf fragments will work their way down to the soil surface, where they’ll decompose and return valuable nutrients to the soil.

Fertilizer should have been applied to the lawn several weeks ago. It’s a waste of money to fertilize now.

In contrast, herbicides can be applied as long as weeds are green and growing.

The most common weed-control products contain a three-way mix of MCPA, 2,4-D and dicamba.

When applying herbicide, remember to stay far away from the trees in your yard.

On the topic of trees, now is also the time to install white guards around the trunks of young trees.

The guards will prevent sunscald and also protect the trees from damage caused by wildlife.

Linden, mountain-ash, maple and fruit trees are especially sensitive and should be protected for at least five winters.

Here are some questions I’ve received in the past week:

Q: What’s the orange stuff on my grass and shoes?

You are seeing the spores of rust, a fungal disease that often develops in lawns during late summer or early fall.

Rust affects all turfgrass species in North Dakota. Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass are especially susceptible.

The yellow spots on infected leaves may cause the lawn to look off-color. However, rust is just a cosmetic issue. It rarely damages the lawn, and treatment with fungicide is not recommended.

Q: How’s the best way to ripen my tomatoes?

Full-sized green tomatoes should ripen just fine off the vine.

Place the tomatoes in a single layer on top of a sheet of newspaper. Place another sheet of newspaper above the tomatoes.

The newspaper sheets trap ethylene which tomatoes emit during the ripening process.

Keep the tomatoes at room temperature and away from direct sun.

Sunlight reddens the skin of the tomatoes. The tomato will appear to be ripe, but the flavor won’t have developed fully.

Q: How do I know when my apples are ready to pick?

Some apple varieties turn red before they are ripe, so try to look at background color more than redness.

It’s time to harvest when the background color of the fruit’s skin turns from green to yellow.

Fruits will come off the branches easily when ripe.

Harvest using an upward, twisting motion to avoid damaging the spurs, where next year’s fruits develop.

If you have questions about your lawn or garden, you can contact me in the NDSU Extension Office (652-2581, [email protected]).