Garden

• Delay pruning fruit trees until next February or March before bud break.

• Harvest pecans and walnuts immediately to eliminate deterioration of the kernel.

• Leftover garden seeds can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer until next planting season.  Discard seeds over 3 years old.

• Gather and shred leaves.  Add to compost, use as mulch or till into garden plots.

• Clean and store garden and landscape tools. Coat with a light application of oil to prevent rusting. Drain fuel tanks, irrigation lines and hoses. Bring hoses indoors.

Lawn

• Fertilize cool-season grasses like fescue with 1pound nitrogen per 1000 sq. ft.
• Continue to mow fescue as needed at 2 inches and water during dry conditions.
• Control broadleaf winter weeds like dandelions.
• Keep falling leaves off fescue to avoid damage to the foliage.

Landscape

Proper selection of your horticultural items is key to long-term success. A lot of money (and time!) can be spent on fertilizing trying to save a tree or shrub that may have been doomed from the beginning. So, let's quickly cover proper selection first, and then move on to proper fertilization.

First and foremost, be choosy! For trees, look for specimens with lots of roots (for viewing, don't be afraid to pull them from their container, or ask someone to help you see them). While plentiful in number, they should be spread out and not be circling or girdling the trunk. Once circling has begun, it tends to continue even after it has been transplanted. The trunk should be straight and undamaged. Branches should be widely spaced on the trunk and connected to the trunk at a wide angle - the wider the angle, the better. Leaves should be evenly distributed with a healthy look.  Foliage should cover the entire canopy evenly with no large empty spots.

For fertilizing trees, apply a granular fertilizer beginning in April and during the growing season. Winter fertilization is not recommended. Use only nitrogen fertilizer, unless a soil test specifically indicates the soil is phosphorus and/or potassium deficient.

For fertilizing shrubs/perennials, use one-half to one cup of 10-10-10 fertilizer, taking care not to exceed one tablespoon per foot of height for fertilizers containing 10% or more of nitrogen.  Because shrubs have somewhat of a limited root system, spread the described amount of fertilizer under the shrub and scratch it into the soil about one-half inch deep. Unless a soil test indicates otherwise, use a fertilizer containing 10-16% nitrogen. Fertilizers such as 16-4-8 and 12-4-8 have the ideal ratio for woody plants, but fertilizers such as 10-10-10 or 8-8-8 can also be used. Woody plants can absorb nutrients as long as the soil temperature is above 40�F. Check the Oklahoma Mesonet (www.mesonet.org) for up-to-date soil temperatures. Note that root growth occurs during cool weather even when the foliage appears dormant. Root growth of woody ornamentals is most active in the fall, then again in late winter/early spring, but then slows during hot weather.  Finally, when applying fertilizer, remember that nitrogen is readily absorbed by surface application since it is carried by water, while phosphorus and potassium are much more slowly absorbed.

It is always best to base your fertilizer choice and amount on a soil test first. This test can be done for a nominal fee by the OSU soil testing lab. Contact the Tulsa OSU Extension Office for details at 918-746-3701.

Finally, don't forget to water the lawn, shrubs and young trees. During the dry conditions that we have been experiencing over the past few years, both the yard and flower beds would appreciate a drink of water once a week. And finally, don't forget to feed and water our friends the birds.

For more information, see OSU Fact Sheet HLA-6404 (Winter Protection for Landscape Plants)

As winter weather draws near, caring for your newly planted trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants should include a plan for a winter watering schedule. Lack of adequate soil moisture is often a major cause of winter damage. Freshly installed plants will need to be watered in all seasons, including winter, for two to three years in order to get well established. Until the roots grow into the surrounding soil, the plant can dehydrate even though the bed soil is damp. Plants should be watered thoroughly in the fall to prepare them for the winter months.

It is true that plants go dormant in winter and thus require less water, but the root system continues to grow and take up water to sustain the plants. All plants, but especially narrowleaf and broadleaf evergreens, use water during winter. Remember to water plants that are located under the eaves of a building or home since they often receive little natural precipitation.

Since we remain in a long-term drought, it is possible that we could encounter dry circumstances this winter also. Winter drought can stress plants as readily as a hot summer drought. If the soil is dry, minimal moisture uptake occurs no matter what season it is.

If there is little rain or snow, plan to water thoroughly at least monthly. Slow deep watering is most beneficial, particularly if you have heavy clay soil. Use drip irrigation, water bags on trees, a slow running hose or soaker hose at the drip line of trees. Snowfall is not a reliable source of adequate water as it takes 5-10 inches of snow (sometimes much more) to yield one inch of water. Check the Oklahoma mesonet for dependable, up-to-date information on soil moisture in our area.

It is also important to keep your plants well mulched over the winter. This not only provides insulation against cold temperatures but helps to retain moisture to the root system.  
For more information:
HLA-6404 Winter Protection for Landscape Plants
L-432 Seasonal Landscape Maintenance!

By now it's no secret that long-term drought has been raging across northeast Oklahoma for the past few years. True, we have seen some timely rains here and there during the past two growing seasons, but we are still anxiously awaiting the proverbial "drought-buster"...or more realistically, a prolonged period of above normal rainfall. That is something we have not seen since early 2010!

Earlier this year, the buzz about a developing El Ni�o gave us some hope for a wet 2014-15 winter season, and the potential for some real relief from the drought. You may recall that El Ni�o winters have a strong tendency for above normal seasonal precipitation across the southern tier of states, and, in the case of strong El Ni�o events, that trend is felt in Oklahoma as well.

At one point, it was thought a moderate or even strong El Ni�o may be on the way this winter. But this particular El Niňo seems to be in no hurry to get it's act together and, as of November 1, ocean temperatures along the Equator in the Pacific Ocean were only slightly above normal...not enough to call this an El Ni�o yet. Forecasts do indicate about a two in three chance of El Niňo developing between now and the end of the year, and continuing through the spring of 2015.

So, what does this mean for our weather? The bad news in this case is that, assuming an El Ni�o does develop, it will likely be a weak one, which does not bode well for precipitation in northeast Oklahoma. The official Winter Outlook issued by the Climate Prediction center calls for equal chances of above, near or below normal precipitation for December through February. Perhaps we'll be lucky, but for now, keep irrigating as necessary, and know that this drought will end someday!

Click here for the current Oklahoma Drought Monitor.