Now is the time to complete early fall gardening

By Bev Johnson | The Daily Journal

Published Saturday, September 1, 2007

It's that time of year. School is staring and the gardener is starting to think of fall. What bulbs to order, what perennials need dividing or just chucking out.

Now is the time to divide iris, transplant peonies and rhubarb. Discard any iris rhizomes that don't have a healthy fan of leaves on it.

Replant them with their "toes" pointing out and just barely covered with soil. Peonies want only a slight cover of soil on their roots. They have growing points, small pink knobs on top of the roots that should not be more than 3 inches below the soil.

They will grow with more cover but not bloom. Cut the foliage off both these plants if you move them, otherwise, leave it on until after a light frost. This helps keep diseases of the plants in control.

Tulip bulbs need less time in the soil than do daffodils. Daffs bloom earlier so they need more time to set roots in the fall. The minor bulbs, like crocus should go in early too.

If you had a special geranium that you would like to save, the safest way to do that is to take a cutting and root it now.

Don't root them in water. Those roots are not as strong as the ones rooted in vermiculite or pearlite. A small clay pot, buried in the middle of the growing medium in a larger plastic pot, makes starting cuttings a snap.

Keep the clay pot, that has had the drainage hole plugged, full of water. The water will seep out of the sides of the clay pot and keep the potting medium just the right wetness.

You can tell if your cutting has rooted by gently tugging on it. If it resists, it has roots and can be potted in a good soiless mix and kept in a sunny window for the winter.

If you have a root cellar, you can save geraniums like your grandma did. Dig them out before a freeze and shake the soil off the roots. Put them in a shady spot to dry. You want the leaves to dry up and fall off.

Then, store them root side up, in a cardboard box with the top closed at about 50 to 60 degrees.

Check often for mold and remove any dry leaves. If the stems dry and shrivel up, throw them out or if there are a lot of them soak them for a few minutes then put them back in the box.

Black mildewed tips can be cut off. Two months before the last frost, about May 15, here, pot them up. Put the stem deep enough that two leaf nodes are below the soil. Trim the stem back to healthy green growth.

Lots of luck with this. Most basements are too warm and dry for this to work. The heck with the whole thing. Buy new ones in the spring.

Bev Johnson is a master gardener for West Otter Tail County.