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405-445-7080
301 W. Reno
Oklahoma City, OK 73102
Outdoor grounds open
daily from 6 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Get Crystal Bridge hours >
405-445-7080
301 W. Reno
Oklahoma City, OK 73102
Outdoor grounds open
daily from 6 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Get Crystal Bridge hours >
Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources
Department of Horticulture & Landscape Architecture, Oklahoma State University
David Hillock, Consumer Horticulturist
As plants in the landscape go dormant or are killed off by colder temperatures, it is a good time to do some fall cleaning in the landscape.
Leaves falling from trees are a good source of mulch and compost. If there are groundcovers or turfgrasses growing in the area, then it is best to remove the leaves and compost them or use them as mulch. Many beneficial insects and pollinators survive in leaf litter through the winter months. When removing leaves from turf areas, consider raking them into landscape beds instead of composting them. In wooded areas where there is little understory growth it is best to leave the leaves to decay naturally, which will also provide habitat for beneficial insects.
Many beneficial insects as well as pollinators also survive in stems of perennials. Don’t cut perennials back until late winter/early spring just before new growth, and even then, do not chop them up but let them fall to the ground or throw them into a corner of the landscape to allow any insects to emerge unharmed.
Other types of landscape debris like prunings from trees and shrubs or soft tissue perennials (i.e., canna, hosta) can be chipped or ground up to be used in compost piles or as mulch. However, if plants have been plagued with diseases and insects it may be best to remove them completely from the garden by burning them (if allowed in your community) or sending them off to collection facilities. Debris infected with diseases or harmful insects remaining in the landscape will only become a source for infection next year.
Sanitation is an important step in reducing outbreaks of pest problems. A good example is the twigs that frequently fall from trees like pecan. It is very possible they are infected with the larvae of a twig girdler. Larvae overwinter in the dead twigs, eventually pupating in the twig and emerging as an adult next summer. Another good example is the numerous foliar diseases that also overwinter on dead leaves and debris only to spread to new growth the following spring. Removing these organisms from your garden will reduce the chances of them recurring the following year.
Finding that balance of leaving some material for the good guys and removing debris infected with pests can be challenging. Use your best judgement.
Another practice during the fall and winter months that helps keep pests at bay is occasionally tilling fallow ground. Flower or vegetable beds that remain empty during the winter months can be tilled just before freezing temperatures. Hibernating insects are brought to the surface where they will be exposed to and killed by the cold temperatures.
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