Planting season is finally here! The cooler evenings paired with warm fall days is the perfect sign that the fall planting season has arrived! Trees and plants establish extremely well this time of year and annuals and perennials are beginning to bud and bloom, ready to put on a spectacular show of color.
Now that we are transitioning out of the hotter summer months there are a few things we need to do to make sure we have our landscape and gardens in check so everything has its best chance of growing.
To Do List:
- Watering: With the cooler evenings and cooler days, we are going to have to start thinking about less water for our plants, trees, and lawns. New trees are going to need water 1-3x per week depending on tree and plant type as well as temperature. Once our daytime temps reach 85-100 degrees is typically the time we back down from our summer watering schedule. Remember different types of plants as well as planting location plays a big factor in how much water your plants need. If you need more help please contact one of our nursery pros at your nearest Moon Valley Nurseries location. During the fall months, we can also save water by reducing the amount that we give to our lawns. The cooler nights and cooler days are going to translate into the ground retaining moisture longer thus permitting us to use less water going forward. The amount of water should not be cut back, however, the frequency at which you water your lawn will be reduced. This is also the time of year that you should be considering whether or not you are going to be over-seeding your winter lawn.
- Weeds: They will pop up from time to time and it's best to quickly remove them. Moon Valley Nurseries stocks all of the things you will need for your weed prevention plan at our locations. Also, consider adding mulch to areas to reduce the number of sprouting weeds.
- Fertilizing: Now is the best time to be fertilizing all of your plants, trees, flowers, vegetables and lawns. This is the growing season and this is when your trees and plants are going to be utilizing the most nutrients. Everything should be feed with the proper fertilizer to ensure optimal growth during this crucial time. Moon Juice is a staple that should be used on all your trees, plants, flowers, vegetables and more all year round. This makes your watering more effective as well as making the nutrients more readily available for the plants and trees to uptake. The entire brand of Moon Valley Nurseries fertilizers can be used now on everything from turf, palms, desert trees, shade trees, palms and more. Click here to see all of our fertilizers.
- Tree Care: Since everything is now starting to grow again we have to think ahead about proper care and trimming. Making sure you have your landscapes well cared for is a vital part in making sure you protect your investment. This time of year we can trim off any dead or sun damaged that may have occurred over the summer, cut back any excessive branches or some that may have been damaged by summer storms and also clean all of our citrus and fruit trees of unwanted suckers.
Tipu
The Tipu is a great tree in any landscape for quickly creating massive canopies of shade to cool your home, shade a patio or protect the other plants in your yard. It also requires little maintenance as it does extremely well in many soil and drought-like conditions. Because of its toughness it has quickly become a favorite street-lining tree in many areas and as the shade producer in many of our home landscapes. This is also one of the best water wise trees around.
Tru-Green Elm
The Tru-Green Laurel, or Indian Laurel, is a beautiful dense shade tree that looks amazing and has many landscape uses. This tried and true tree has shown its ability to thrive in the harsh conditions in our region. Because of its durability, beauty and mass amounts of shade it provides the Tru-Green Laurel has become the top selling tree we grow...and the most asked about. Tru-Green Laurel trees can be used in many different ways which contributes to its vast popularity. For basic shade, there is no better tree. The dense, thick foliage of the Tru-Green Laurel provides the absolute coolest shade available in our area. Tru-Green Laurel columns, when planted in rows, make great hedges that are commonly used as a privacy screen to block unwanted views, nosy neighbors and even flying objects, like golf balls from your friendly weekend golfer!
Piru Queen Palms
Specially grown at our farms, the Piru Queen Palm is unlike other Queen Palms. Our Piru Queen Palms feature thicker and harder trunks, denser and greener fronds, and produce fuller crowns. Our Queen Palms can handle hot summers, cold winters, and windy days. The palm is supported by a narrow trunk which makes it ideal in tight spaces around your pool, but it does require overhead space as the palm grows to statuesque heights.
Diamond Cut Date Palms
The ultimate palm for your pool, the Date Palms are usually found at most resorts and shopping centers. Around pools the Date Palm provides excellent shade due to its wide fronds and it has practically no litter. The Date Palm looks great when planted in clusters of 3 to 5 palms and is hardy to cold, heat and drought tolerant.
Pygmy Date Palm
This statuesque palm features many trunks of varying height or it can be grown with just a single trunk. Great for small spaces and accent locations near your pool, the Pygmy Date Palm is a slow grower and adapts well to sun and shade. Moon Valley Nurseries Pygmy Date Palms have been custom grown at our farms to ensure that the palm generates thicker trunks, fuller crowns, and more robust roots.
Chinese Elm
A top performing shade tree in our region, the Chinese Elm is a widely popular for good reasons. It is very tolerant to poor soil, poor weather, and can still provide the large, wide shade that it's known for. It loves growing in the full sun and provides a massive canopy of shade at an early age. The Chinese Elm is also known as the “Evergreen Elm”. In very mild winters, Chinese Elms can retain their leaves throughout the season. In warmer months, the Chinese Elm boasts dark green foliage on an umbrella-shaped shade canopy.
Shamel Ash
A classic looking "Legacy Type" tree, the Shamel Ash, also known as the ‘Evergreen Ash’, is a great solution for just about any landscape that needs a large, fast-growing shade tree. Capable of reaching great heights, the classic, larger-leaved, green foliage is attractive and compliments just about any landscape. It creates a massive canopy of shade and is a great climbing tree or even one to hang a swing off of!