Trees, vegetables, citrus, fruits, avocados, nuts, flowers, palms, cacti, succulents. Yes, we can grow almost anything in Southern California, and for our trees and plants, October and the fall season is one of the best times of the year. If you are looking to rebuild a landscape or start fresh, it is also the best time of year to plant trees, shrubs, and other plants. After all, our area is experiencing cooler days and evenings. And while this welcome change in the weather means we get to enjoy some cooler days and nights that are perfect for trick or treating, surfing less-crowded waves or watching football, for our yards, it also allows the soil to hold the warmth of the summer. It can do all this without having to deal with soaring temperatures and a blisteringly hot sun - an ideal balance that can encourage root growth all season long, a touchdown for your yard (win-win!)
TO DO LIST:
Watering: Now is the time to adjust your watering schedule for the fall season, so be sure to adjust the timer for your landscape, if applicable. Since we have cooler nights and days, the ground is going to be able to retain moisture longer, which means that going forward you can use less water. Of course, this doesn't mean that the amount of water used should be lessened. No, what it means is that you'll be watering your lawn less. For Waterwise/Low Water varieties you’ll want to water 1 time and do this every 10 days. For Moderate Water Use Varieties water 1 time every 10 days (New Trees, water 2x a week). And for Topical Varieties, water 1 time per week (New Trees, water 2x a week). Click here to read up on our Watering Guide Schedule.
Tip: Proper watering is the deep and thorough saturation of the entire root system, allowing it to dry between waterings.
Plant Annuals: Are you looking to add instant color to your landscape? Planting fall annuals, such as Pansy, Geranium, Snapdragon, and Mums are an excellent way to add instant eye-catching color to your yard! Feel free to plant them in containers, use them indoors, for patios, gardens and in your landscape so that they can add even more color and texture to your surroundings! Visit your local Moon Valley Nursery location and pick some up today!
Weeds: Let's face it, the weather is cooler, so it's time to remove those weeds now! Don't let those weeds settle, visit Moon Valley Nurseries today, where you'll find all the things you need for preventing weeds! Now is also a great time for using pre-emergent herbicides. Spray these now to help prevent new weeds from forming during falls rains and doing this can also help lessen and prevent weeds in the spring. We stock what you need, including mulch, which we recommend adding to areas to reduce the number of sprouting weeds.
Fertilizing: We never tire of telling people and stressing the importance of fertilizing everything on your landscape. And by everything we mean all of your trees, flowers, vegetables, and of course, your lawn. Using the proper fertilizer during this crucial time ensures optimal growth. Our Moon Juice, the best root enhancer on the market today, should be a staple in every home and used on all your trees, flowers, vegetables and other plants all year long. Moon Valley fertilizers such as Moon Dust, Moon Green, and Palm Juice can be used right now for turf, palms, desert trees, shade trees, and more! Get things fertilized now for the second growing season and doing this will also get them hardy and prepared for the upcoming winter! Click here to see all of our fertilizers.
Tree Care: everything is starting to grow again, so it is also a good time to start thinking ahead about proper care and trimming. After all, your beautiful landscape is a wise investment so you’ll want to protect it. During this time of the year, we recommend trimming off any dead or anything damaged by the sun, and let’s face it, we had a hot summer! Cut back any excessive branches that might have been damaged by summer storms. It is also a good practice to clean all of our citrus and fruit trees of unwanted suckers.
What to Plant:
Red Push Pistache (Pistacia ‘Red Push’):
do you love fall color? If so, you’ll love Red Push Pistache trees. This deciduous tree is an improved variety that’s guaranteed to produce eye-catching fire-engine red color in November! Since it’s deciduous, it lets in the warmth of the sun in winter and once summer rolls along, its broad spreading canopy can provide some cooling shade relief. Improve any landscape with this tree that can get nice and big if you let it!
Brazilian Pepper (Schinus terebinthefolius):
this evergreen tree loves the heat, so it loves to grow in our area! It’s a beautiful tree all year long, and in the winter time, showy bright red berries appear, blending in perfectly with the dark green foliage and coming in just in time for the holiday season. Of course, once summer hits, its dense, umbrella-shaped canopy provides plenty of shade. We also like to use them as one of the best trees for privacy that you can find!
Ficus nitida:
these are one of the best trees you can plant, whether you choose Indian Laurel Columns or multi-trunk. We love to plant them so that they can create a thick, evergreen privacy hedge that is able to block unwanted views and filter loud noises. It’s easy to see why these are one of our best-selling trees – when properly placed around the external structure of your home they can provide enough shade to cool hot rooms and possibly even lower your energy use bill! Drought tolerant so that they are ideal for growing in any California landscape!
Piru Queen Palm (Arecastrum romanzoffianum):
an excellent palm for use as a focal point! We grow these exclusively at Moon Valley Nurseries so that they grow with thicker, harder trunks, and greener fronds with fuller crowns, for a look that is sure to add a tropically effect to any landscape. These beauties are extremely well-suited for our climate as they are custom grown to be extra hardy in heat or cold. Enjoy a California sunset while it creates an awesome silhouette and does it without blocking too much of your view!
Tipu (Tipuana tipu):
you want shade? One of the best shade trees you’ll find anywhere is the Tipuana tipu tree! These colorful flowering trees can grow to be medium to large-sized trees and from late spring to early summer, put on quite the spectacle when the golden blooms arrive, contrasting beautifully with its feathery bright-bluish green foliage that you have to see to believe! These are useful trees suitable for a wide range of landscape designs, from tropical to water-wise landscapes!
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