Dayton "Dirt" - October 14, 2016

It’s finally happened, the frost has come although it has been very light here at the nursery. With this first frost about October 10th week, the growing season is officially over and the date coincides with the historical average of northern Ohio’s first frost. The cooler temperatures and frost has greatly accelerated the coloring of the fall foliage and so much so that an almost daily change is noticeable.

Mum time is beginning to wind down at the nursery although there is still a broad selection of trees, shrubs and some perennials that will remain on display at least through the weekend of October 22nd and after which the stock will be moved to overwintering houses before being  presented again in the spring.

Rooted cuttings from azaleas have been transferred to 4½” pots filled with Canadian Sphagnum peat that will enable these small plants (only taken as unrooted cuttings late last July) to grow in the greenhouse until June. Then these plants will be potted to a trade 1½ gallon pot that will become saleable in the spring of 2018 with a 3 gallon size available in the fall of 2018.

Poinsettias are just showing a hint of color with October’s increasingly shorter days with Cyclamen planted in mid July starting to bloom as well in colors of red, purple, pink and white.

Time is moving quite fast so that we must move fast as well to complete all the new projects and regular chores before the snow is fixed on the ground.

Tom