By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
With pots, soil and native plants on hand, the Wood County Park District commissioners demonstrated the value of planting in the fall to promote the district’s Fall Plant Sale this month.
As Zeb Albert, park district stewardship coordinator, instructed them in the process, he explained that planting in the fall is a good time to add plants, especially native plants, to gardens and landscapes.
The temperatures are milder in the fall, which helps plants to focus on root growth rather than top growth. Also, less watering is required because of the usually cooler-than-summer temperatures.
“When planting in the fall, the plants have less weeds and insect pests to contend with, and they are not building flowers,” Albert said.
Focusing on root growth helps the plant get established through the fall and into the spring. Plants with deeper root structures have the ability to tolerate potential summer droughts, he added.
He also recommended that fall planting should be done at least six weeks before potential frost to allow the roots to establish before dormancy. Even as the days grow cooler, the soil is still warm. “The roots will continue to grow until the soil temperatures are down to 40 degrees,” he said.
Planting at least six to 12 inches apart and where there is a good amount of natural light helps with the growth as well.
“Now you have officially planted in the fall,” he told the park board.
The park district’s Fall Native Plant Sale is Saturday, Sept. 21 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Cedar Creeks Preserve, 4575 Walbridge Road. Northwood.
Albert also promoted the district’s Nurture the Nursery Fall Potluck on Sept. 17 from 10 a.m. to noon and the Native Nursery Night on Sept. 26 from 6 to 8 p.m. Both events are at the J.C. Reuthinger Memorial Preserve Greenhouse, 30730 Oregon Road,
Northwood. The Nurture the Nursery events are held every other Tuesday morning, and the Native Nursery Night events are opposite weeks on Thursday evenings.
Executive Director Christopher Smalley updated the board about the Living History Harvest Celebration on Oct. 5 from 11-3 p.m.
Each year, the event at the Carter Historic Farm at 18331 Carter Road, Bowling Green, “honors the agricultural history of Wood County,” Smalley said. “It is a great chance to enjoy a free meal that starts on the farm with the vegetables in the garden or the bratwurst that started out as pigs. You can see the whole process from field to plate.”
In other business, the board authorized Smalley to properly dispose of surplus property from various park district sites. The majority of the items are electronics, including cell phones, computer lap tops and cameras; there are also six crossbow units that are no longer used by the district.
