October Diary

Banksia

Longer days are finally here, and the garden is bursting with growth. Conditions are perfect for planting summer veggies like tomato, lettuce, capsicum and sweet corn, and if you're thinking about laying a new lawn, you should do it now before the summer heat arrives.

What's flowering in October?

• Trees & shrubs: Camellia, crab apple, diosma, ornamental cherry, fuchsia, jacaranda, jasmine, lavender, lilac, murraya, rhododendron, rose, viburnum
• Natives: Banksia, boronia, bottlebrush, coastal rosemary, grevillea, native frangipani, NSW Christmas bush
• Annuals & perennials: California poppy, campanula, cineraria, columbine, English daisy, delphinium, echium, geranium, lobelia
• Bulbs: Babiana, bearded and Dutch iris, ixia, narcissus, tulip
• Climbers: Bougainvillea, star jasmine, wisteria

What to plant in October

• With so many plants in bloom, it’s easy to enjoy a colourful spring. Choose from alyssum, cineraria, columbine, cornflower, cosmos, delphinium, echium, Federation daisy, foxglove, gazania, geranium, gerbera, impatiens, penstemon, petunia, snapdragon and stock.
• October is the peak planting month for summer veggies like beetroot, capsicum, chilli, cucumber, eggplant, lettuce, pumpkin, radish, spring onion, squash, sweet corn, tomato and zucchini. 
• Still on the edible front, add flavour to warm-weather dishes by planting basil, ginger, chives and mint. 
• Think ahead – if you’re planning on adding some cold-sensitive ornamentals like tibouchina or jacaranda to your garden, plant now so they can establish while the weather’s warm.
• Looking to grow shrubs in pots? October is the time for planting. We've got a great range of outdoor pots for you to put them in, too!
• Create shade for the summer months by planting fast-growing climbers and training them up structures like arbours and patios.

Which plants to feed in October

• Your garden's still in growth mode, so keep up the increased feeding schedule you've established over the last couple of months. Don't take your foot off the pedal just yet! Enrich and condition your soil by adding Seamungus or mulching with Whoflungdung.
• Use a soil wetter such as Saturaid to ensure good rainfall is not wasted, and water smartly if it dries out as the weather heats up. Remember, early morning and late evening are the most effective times to water!
• Once your veggie seeds or seedlings are showing good, rapid growth, keep them powering along with fortnightly feeds of a quality liquid fertiliser, such as Harvest.
• Keep annuals blooming in abundance with a fortnightly fertiliser application. We love soluble Thrive Flower and Fruit.
• For healthy fruit, feed citrus with a specially-formulated citrus fertiliser such as Gyganic and water regularly.
• To ensure prolific summer flowering, fertilise hibiscus and hydrangeas as they come into bud. Sudden Impact for Roses is your best choice here.
• Roses need a meal this month – a complete rose food, again such as Sudden Impact for Roses, will give them all the nutrients they need to flourish.
• Fertilise azaleas and camellias after flowering with Kahoona or Miracle-Gro Azalea, Camellia & Rhododendron Soluble Plant Food.
• Indoor plants need love, too! Start feeding regularly now, and continue through to March with an indoor-specific formula such as Osmocote Pour + Feed Indoor Plant Fertiliser.

Which plants to prune in October

• For spring annuals that are beginning to fade, pick off dying blooms to help new ones form! You can also deadhead your proteas and leucadendrons now to extend their floral display.
• Just bought a citrus tree? Remove all its little fruit. This diverts the plant’s energy into growing roots and leaves for a stronger tree. 
• Deadhead roses to encourage a new flower flush.
• Trim grevillea and bottlebrush after blooming.
• Prune spring-flowering peach and other prunus as soon as petals finish dropping, but before substantial shoot growth has occurred. Do not prune edible peach trees this month.
• Cut back lean and straggly azaleas after they’ve finished flowering.
• To keep them compact, lightly prune native shrubs after flowering. 
• Control creepers, like jasmine and wisteria, by cutting back unruly canes. 

Garden pests, weeds and diseases to look out for in October

• If growing fruit, including tomatoes, October is the time to take action against fruit fly with fruit fly bait such as eco-naturalure. You can also protect developing fruit and veggies from fruit fly attack with exclusion bags.
• Save azaleas and rhododendrons from petal blight with a fungicide like Mancozeb Plus.
• Got new growth? Keep your eyes peeled for aphids. Squash them with your fingers if you see them, or for larger infestations, spray with eco-oil or pyrethrum.
• Use Nature’s Way Caterpillar Killer Dipel or Success Ultra for caterpillars munching on grapevines and fuchsia.
• Watch out for weeds! The beautiful weather will provide perfect growth conditions. Pull them out while they’re small to stop them taking over garden beds.

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General garden and lawn care in October

• Feed your lawn if you didn’t last month, or plant a new lawn from seed in October.
• Well-established lawns should be growing very happily this month, so it’s time to start mowing regularly. Only ever cut the top 1/3 of your lawn to leave it looking lush and healthy. 
• Repot your indoor and outdoor potted plants if necessary and feed them with a slow-release fertiliser. Take them outside and give them a good watering with the hose to remove any dust from the leaves.

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Courtesy of Flower Power: https://www.flowerpower.com.au/