Fall Foliage

October Gardening Tips
Parker Gardens
1325 Terrill Rd, Scotch Plains

We all love the fall display in our landscapes and through Scotch Plains and Fanwood, with all of the trees in our area - but - did you ever wonder what causes that beautiful fall display?
By Tracy A. Smith | 5:51am

As I drive through Scotch Plains and Fanwood, I like to look at all of our trees and watch the progression of their change in leaf color. Did you ever wonder why they change color and give us a breath-taking show each fall? Well, the answer will give you a little lesson in plant physiology.

During the summer,as the nights began to get longer, hormonal changes began to occur in our trees. This slowed and eventually stopped the production to chlorophyl in our trees' leaves. Chlorophyl is the substance that gives the leaves their green color and captures the sunlight to convert it into food for the tree.

As the chlorophyl dies off, the colors of the leaves' starches and sugars come out...and they happen to be orange, red, and yellow. The brilliance of the show is influenced by the amount of water we received during the season, and the coolness of the fall temperatures. Based upon this information - wea re in for a great Autumn display this year!

Getting back to the garden though...as the leaves begin to fall, it is important to remove them from your lawn. The best way is to use a mulching lawnmower and use the mulched up leaves as extra fertilizer on your lawn. As the chopped up leaves decompose, nitrogen is added back into the soil. The second best choice is to rake and compost your leaves.

If leaves are left on top of the lawn, they will shade out the grass from the sun, creating dead spots and a damp environment that is perfect for disease growth. This will greatly weaken your lawn both now and as it sustains itself over the winter.

For more information, or to submit your own questions, feel free to email me at tracy@parkerplants.com