October What To Do Now Calendar

Care for houseplants –Clean foliage, water regularly and fertilize. Repot as necessary. Go here for complete instructions. Control insect pests with Bayer Advanced™ Dual Action Rose & Flower Insect Killer Ready-To-Use.

Care for roses –Feed and protect from insects and disease with Bayer Advanced™ All-In-One Rose & Flower Care Concentrate. If you have spider mites, use Bayer Advanced™ 2-in-1 Systemic Rose & Flower Care Granules. This systemic product controls numerous insect pests and mites while feeding your roses. Remove faded flowers, cutting back to the first leaf with five leaflets. Roses, such as floribundas and shrubs, which bloom in clusters, can be lightly sheared after blooms fade. If powdery mildew or rust is your only rose nemesis, begin spraying your roses with Bayer Advanced™ Disease Control for Roses, Flowers & Shrubs Concentrate every 7–14 days and see what rose foliage is supposed to look like!

Control indoor/outdoor pests –To control insects like spiders, fleas, ants and multicolored Asian ladybugs, use Bayer Advanced™ Home Pest Control Indoor/Outdoor Insect Killer Ready-To-Use Battery Powered Sprayer, which can be used both outdoors and indoors (indoor use provides up to 9 months' insect protection). If just outdoor ants are your problem, and you prefer to use a granule, use Bayer Advanced™ Triple Action Ant Killer Granules. For more information on controlling indoors pests, see this months feature story here.

Control lawn weeds –Kill all your broadleaf lawn weeds, including clover, dandelion, plantain, nutsedge and your grassy weeds, such as crabgrass, at one time using a single application of Bayer Advanced™ All-In-One Weed Killer for Lawns Ready-To-Use. This one product kills over 200 lawn weeds. Bayer Advanced™ All-In-One Weed Killer for Lawns Ready-To-Use in the convenient, ready-to-use form contains SmartTrack red dye, which shows you exactly which weeds you’ve already sprayed before it naturally fades away. To treat larger areas, purchase the concentrated formulation. Now you can control all the weeds in your lawn at one time – saving you money and time! One application in fall will kill many weeds when they are small and easier to control than they will be next spring. Apply only when daytime temperatures will remain below 85 degrees.

Control mosquitoes –Mosquitoes and West Nile virus could still be a serious problem. Bayer Advanced offers a complete family of mosquito-control products – solutions to control flying mosquitoes, resting mosquitoes or larval mosquitoes. You can be proactive in controlling adult, biting (female) mosquitoes in your yard and around your home. For more information, click here.

Control slugs and snails –Protect flowers, vegetables and other tender plants with Bayer Advanced™ Dual Action Snail and Slug Killer Bait Granules. It’ can be used around pets and wildlife.

Control tree and shrub pests –Use Bayer Advanced™ Tree & Shrub Insect Control Concentrate to control tough pests like borers, aphids and soft scale. One application now protects for up to 12 months.

Control weeds –This winter's weeds are easiest to control when young, which is now. Also, remember the old adage, “leaves of three, let it be”, referring to avoiding poison oak? Instead substitute, “leaves of three, spray with Bayer Advanced™ ." This product also controls other woody vines and briar plants (blackberries, etc.).

Control whiteflies –Use Bayer Advanced™ Tree & Shrub Insect Control Concentrate on ornamentals such as hibiscus and ash.

Fertilize –Fall is an ideal time to fertilize with Bayer Advanced Triple Action Garden Fertilizers. Even though growth of many plants is slowing, roots can still absorb nutrients. Any fertilizer can green your plants immediately, but Bayer Advanced Fertilizers provide balanced plant nutrition for 3 months, feeding the plant and the roots. Choose a fertilizer with prescription-balanced feeding for your plants (Bayer Advanced™ Triple Action Landscape, Tree & Shrub Food Granules, Bayer Advanced™ Triple Action Rose Food Granules, Bayer Advanced™ Triple Action Azalea, Camellia, & Rhododendron Food Granules) or use a multi-purpose premium food (Bayer Advanced™ Triple Action All Purpose Plant Food Granules), and you’ll get healthier growth next spring!

Fertilize –This is one of the most important times of the year to feed cool-season lawns like Kentucky bluegrass and fescues.

Mow –Lawns are growing vigorously. Mow weekly. Be sure to sharpen the blades and tune up the lawn mower for peak efficiency.

Plant –Start cool-season lawns like tall fescues. Overseed Bermuda grass lawns with ryegrass or tall fescue to keep them green all winter. For more on lawn planting and overseeding, click here.

Plant flowers –Plant cool-season annuals like sweet peas, pansies, violas and primrose for fall and winter bloom. Nurseries are full of beautifully colored mums. Use them to enliven your fall garden. And don’t forget hardy perennials like penstemon, gaillardia and iberis. Sow wildflower seeds. It's also a great time (you have until mid-November) to plant spring bulbs, such as crocus, daffodils, hyacinths and tulips. Protect new plantings from insect pests with Bayer Advanced™ Dual Action Rose & Flower Insect Killer Concentrate. It kills pests immediately on contact and keeps killing by systemic action for a month. One thorough spray saves you time and money.

Plant trees and shrubs –Autumn is the best time of year for new landscaping. Cooler weather will ease establishment and make sure plants get off to a strong start next spring. Plant new trees and shrubs, including roses from containers. Protect new plantings from insects (borers, aphids, soft scale and many others) with Bayer Advanced™ Tree & Shrub Insect Control Concentrate. Water carefully.

Plant vegetables and herbs –Plant quick-growing, cool-season vegetables, such as lettuce, chard and carrots from seed. Start cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower from transplants. Also plant hardy herbs such as garlic, oregano, parsley, rosemary and thyme. Water regularly until plants are established. Protect vegetables listed on the label from insect pests with Bayer Advanced™ Complete Insect Killer for Gardens Ready-To-Use, Bayer Advanced™ PowerForce® Multi-Insect Killer Concentrate or Bayer Advanced™ Complete Insect Killer for Gardens Dust.

Rake –Raking our lawns to make our property neat is a good idea, but we need to keep our grass raked of dead leaves for a much more important reason. All plants, including grass, get energy via photosynthesis. If the grass is covered, it cannot make energy. Strong grass overwinters much better and gets off to a faster start next spring.

Water gardens –Continue to monitor irrigation systems. Fix clogs and broken sprinklers. Adjust spray heads. Reduce watering as weather cools. Be sure to water deeply. What’s the best way to calculate how much water your irrigation system delivers at each sprinkling? Place straight-sided coffee cups randomly around your beds. After the irrigation cycle is completed, measure how much water you collected in each cup. Anything less than 1/2 inch is too little to provide a deep watering. Apply a fresh layer of organic mulch to conserve moisture (but not more than 3 to 4 inches total).

Water lawns –Make sure sprinklers are operating properly. Follow local watering guidelines available from water department or cooperative extension office. Reduce watering as the weather cools or during rainy periods. What’s the best way to calculate how much water your irrigation system delivers at each sprinkling? Place five straight-sided coffee cups randomly around your lawn. After the irrigation cycle is completed, measure how much water you collected. Anything less than 1/2 inch is too little to provide a deep watering. For more tips on how to water your lawn efficiently, click here.