November Gardening Tips

Birds and Wildlife

This is a great month for hummingbirds. Keep your feeders clean and full as long as the birds use them. Watch for tiny but pugnacious rufous hummers.
Goldfinches are back. They are less colorful in their winter garb, but still interesting. Clean and fill thistle feeders for their benefit.

It’s winter-annual time. Select from pansies, spring bulbs, flowering kale, dianthus, calendula, viola, Johnny jump-ups, alyssum, and snapdragons. If you use tulips and hyacinth bulbs, make sure they have 6-8 weeks of chill in paper bags in the fridge or from the nursery.
Be ready to move the bougainvilleas, hibiscus, plumeria, purple fountain grass, citrus, mandevilla and other tender plants into the greenhouse or garage at the first cold weather. Plan for ventilation as it can get pretty warm in San Antonio in November.
Fall asters are spectacular. Plant them now for a good show next fall.
Get Texas Gold columbines in the ground to make a good groundcover under deciduous trees and shrubs.
Plant your wildflower seeds this month.
If you plan to plant roses next January or February, prepare beds now with composted manure mixed with existing soil.
Fruits and Nuts
Pick up pecans as soon as possible after they fall to the ground. Damp nuts with limited mold can be dried in the oven.
Spray Kocide on peach and plum trees to prevent bacterial diseases next spring. The bactericide will knock the leaves off the tree.
Prepare your Satsuma tangerine shelters so that you can move fast if we get a freeze prediction.

It’s a good time to plant irises, daylilies, and other perennials.
Divide spring and summer-flowering perennials during fall. Pass favorites along to your friends.

Do not fertilize or prune trees and shrubs this month. You may stimulate tender late growth that is susceptible to early freezes.
Do not put leaves in the garbage. Benefit from fallen leaves by mowing them and leaving them on the lawn or by using them as mulch in the shrub border.
If you’re going to plant a pecan tree, consider Pawnee. It makes a reasonably sized lawn tree that doesn’t seem prone to limb breakage. The nuts are relatively small and early so it does not require as much water or care to get a full nut.
It’s a good time to plant container-grown shrubs for long-lasting color.
If you plan to plant bare-root trees or shrubs, prune the tops back at least one-third to one-half before planting.
November and December are the ideal months to plant trees and shrubs. Fall is the ideal time to move trees and shrubs as well. Planting now gives the plant time to establish its root system before the shoot growth develops in the spring. Also, usually little supplemental watering is required through the winter.

If you didn’t get your lawn fertilizer down in October, do it now—before the first freeze and as long as the grass hasn’t gone dormant. This equates to about 8-9 lbs. of a 18-19% nitrogen manufactured mix or 20 lbs. of 9% organic mix per 1,000 square feet. The nutrients will be stored for a fast start in the spring. Be sure it says “Winterizer” or something like that on the bag.
Treat brown patch with a fungicide labeled for that purpose, such as PCNB, chlorothalonil, or benomyl. Note the problem areas and later this winter; raise the area with compost, sand, or top dressing.
Cut way back on the water. Water the lawn only every 2-3 weeks with h inch of water if we don’t get rain.
It’s too late to plant Bermuda or buffalo grass.
Over seeding rye grass for winter green only works on Bermuda; Zoysia and St. Augustine have too thick a sod. Rye grass will kill buffalo grass.
Sodding Floratam St. Augustine grass or Bermuda grass can be risky this late in the season and can be damaged by severe cold. Zoysia sod such as JaMur can still be planted. There is still time to establish fescue in those heavily-shaded areas.
Do not allow heavy accumulations of leaves to pile up on the lawn area. If they get wet and pack together, the grass can be damaged. It is best to rake leaves or pick them up with a mower and bagger and place them in a compost pile or spread them over the garden area and work them into the soil. Add fertilizer to the leaves to assist in decomposition.

Plant onion seeds and spinach in November—onions in the early part of the month and spinach transplants throughout.
Side dress your cole crops and onions with a cup of slow-release lawn fertilizer per 12 feet of row.
Tomatoes and peppers can be protected from light freezes with blankets. If you’re successful, they’ll produce another 3-4 weeks. Harvest them regularly.. .or keep the chowchow and fried green tomato recipes handy.
Plant radishes, carrots, beets, and greens this month.
Watch for worms and caterpillars on cole crops. Treat with Bt (bacillus thuringiensis) or Spinosad. Bt is only active for 3-4 days, so use it twice a week.