Tips for Lawn Care and Plant Care  

The weather is just starting to cool down, that means it is now time to start taking care of your yard. The hot summer may have beaten your yard up a bit, so it needs to be brought back to good health and ready for the autumn weather! October, and the fall season, is one of the best times of the year to rebuild a landscape or start a new project. Fall is also the best time of year to plant any trees, shrubs, and other plants you’ve had your eye on to improve your yard.

Southern California is finally getting cooler days and even cooler evenings. This is a welcome relief from the blistering summertime heat, and relief for any home owner who has been avoiding the sun for months! While we can start to enjoy being outside more and working on our yard, the soil is still warm and will hold onto the heat for a while. This makes for a perfect environment to transplant any plants or trees and get maximum root growth potential and prepping it for long term success.

Watering Tips

Any time the weather starts to change, your watering schedule needs to change too! Now is the time to adjust your watering schedule for the fall season, so be sure to change the timer for your landscape or manual watering schedule accordingly. Since we have cooler nights and days, the soil can hold on to moisture longer. This means that you can use less and less water through the fall and winter. While this gives you the chance to save some money on your utility bill, you still want to water the same amount for each watering session. You just don’t need to water as often.  

• For Low Water varieties, water 1 time every 10 days (New Trees, water 1x a week).
• For Moderate Water varieties, water 1 time every 10 days (New Trees, water 2x a week).
• For Topical varieties, water 1 time per week (New Trees, water 2x a week).

Click here to read more about our Watering Guide Schedule.

Weeding Tips

There are no more excuses now that summer is going away and taking the miserable heat with it! It's time to remove those weeds now! October is a great time for getting rid of all those weeds that are still taking over your yard. Once they are cleared out of your lawn, we suggest using pre-emergent herbicides. Spray these now to help prevent new weeds from forming during falls rains. This can also lessen the work waiting for you in the spring by helping reduce and prevent weeds through the winter. Don't let those weeds settle in. Come visit Moon Valley Nurseries today and let us help you fight off those weeds!

Fertilizing Tips

We cannot stress enough about how important it is to make fertilizing a consistent habit for everything in your landscaping. And by everything, we mean all your trees, flowers, vegetables, shrubs, and of course - your lawn.

Using the proper fertilizer, like our custom-made Moon Royale, during this crucial time ensures optimal health and growth. Your lawn has been working hard all summer to survive and now it needs a bit of extra nutrients. Our Moon Juice, the best root enhancer on the market today, should be a staple in every yard. It can be used on all your trees, flowers, vegetables and any other plants all year long, especially in California. 

Get things fertilized now for the second growing season. It will also get them strong and ready for the upcoming winter! Click here for all our fertilizer products and see which ones best fit your lawn care needs!

Reseeding Tips

As the summer grass starts to die down, and the thatch on your lawn has been removed, it’s time to reseed for the winter. You might have a whole lawn to seed or maybe just a few sparse areas where summer weeds took over.

Whichever situation you are in, the soil (with some help from the previously mentioned fertilizer) is at its best right now for those seeds to grow full and green.

For more info on reseeding, check out our tips and tricks for your winter grass!

Tree Care Tips

The fall season is the time to trim off any dead or damaged sections of the tree that may have occurred over the summer from heat or seasonal storms. Make sure to cut back any excessive branches and to also clean all your citrus and fruit trees of unwanted tree suckers.

Best Trees to Plant in October

Tipu Tree (Tipuana tipu)

It’s massive shade, ridiculous growth rate, low water usage, and bright yellow pea shaped flowers has made the Tipuana tipu a popular tree for homeowners all over Southern California. When it comes to shade, the Tipu is the perfect choice.

This semi-evergreen grows fast and spreads with age, producing a layered umbrella-like canopy. Its growth habit and massive canopy of shade makes it an ideal tree to cool your home, shade your patio, or natural alternative to protect other plants in your yard from the summer sun.

Crape Myrtle Tree (Lagerstroemia)

The Crape Myrtle has something to offer for every season. It stands out in late spring to summer when it begins producing stunning blooms of purple, pink, red, and white flowers that are pleasing to the eye when planted in clusters or spread out and used for accent coloring.

In the fall, the Crape Myrtle’s foliage turns to a showy bright orange, just in time to match with those orange Jack-O-Lanterns that will soon be in front of many homes! The Crape Myrtle is known for its lengthy and constant bloom cycle and works well in just about any landscape.

Majestic Ash Tree (Fraxinus uhdei ‘Majestic’)

The Majestic Ash tree is a good-looking tree that adds value to your landscape just by being there! What makes this one of the best trees to plant is not just how attractive it is but how useful it is for any yard.

- Majestic Ash  

The Majestic Ash grows vertical with thick and shiny green foliage. They can be planted as a single tree for a focal point or as multiple trees in a row, which would create a wall and create more shade AND privacy in your yard. Our Majestic Ash trees handle full sun, difficult soil, and becomes more water wise once it is established.

Piru Queen Palm (Arecastrum romanzoffianum)

The Piru Queen Palm is the epitome of what you picture when you think of a palm tree. An excellent palm for California for any sized yard to make you feel like you live in a resort! Moon Valley Nurseries grows these palms ourselves to make sure we are growing a palm with thicker, harder trunks, and greener fronds and fuller crowns.

The Queen Palm is a perfect choice for a look that is sure to add a tropical feel to any landscape. These beauties are extremely well-suited for the SoCal climate and they are custom grown to be further resistant to heat or cold.

Indian Laurel Columns (Ficus nitida columns)

Looking for you own Hollywood Hedges? Nothing makes a backyard feel more like a sanctuary than to create a private escape from the outside world. The Indian Laurel Columns are the best choice to help you accomplish this goal! These trees grow thick from the bottom to the top and can be planted in rows to create a dense, lush privacy screen separating your backyard from any nosy neighbors, loud streets or other unwanted views.

The Hollywood Hedge has become a favorite for everyone looking to create the ultimate privacy from the rest of the world and create a unique space that can make you feel far, far away from the bright lights and big city.