It's been a while since I've done a "timely tips" posting and, with all that needs to be done this time of year, I thought this was a perfect time.

Let's start with Living Earth's popular "$10 per cubic yard" mulch deal at all 12 of their bulk locations. It's this Saturday only, for pick-up only, and only until 1 p.m. And you have to pay sales tax on your purchase. I have to stress all the rules, because it's amazing how many people will claim that I said the deal was good for other days and other times and even tax-free. It is not! And, you absolutely MUST mention my name or GardenLine to get it.

The special is on native hardwood mulch, and you can take as many cubic yards as you can haul.

I'm sure you're assuming there's a limit — and there is: 10 cubic yards per load. To put that in perspective, most pickup trucks can barely manage two cubic yards. Most trailers can carry up to five. So, the limit is really meaningless, as long as you're willing to make multiple trips.

And just how good is the deal? Well, one cubic yard is roughly 27 cubic feet. The average bag of mulch contains 2-3 cubic feet. So, you'll get the equivalent of 9-12 bags of mulch for only 10 bucks. (These are rough numbers ... no math critics, please.)

If you need more than 20 bags of mulch, and you get two cubic yards for $20 this Saturday, you'll save around 40 smackers! You can usually get 3-4 bags of mulch for $10-$12 at this time of year, and you would need 20 bags or more to equal two cubic yards. So, it's not just a good deal, it's a GREAT DEAL! But remember — it's for one day only!!

We'll be doing a GardenLine appearance Saturday at the location on Highway 90A, just east of FM 359 in Richmond. So, you can get your mulch plus pick up some great KTRH goodies. I also have three bags of Living Earth's 28-0-0 fertilizer to give away — it's great for helping control the burrgrass I discussed in last week's post. The first three listeners who bring me some burrgrass for show-and-tell will each get a free bag.

To find the Living Earth location closest to you, check out www.livingearth.net.

Now, on to the amalgamation.

Brownpatch Blowup - Obviously, with the temperatures hitting the feared 80-60 degree split, brownpatch has been creating "crop circles" at a record clip. So, here's everything we know about brownpatch, to help you with both organic and synthetic controls.

Cool-Season Herbicide Time - This weekend, a cool front will be moving through and hopefully giving us temperatures low enough to start using the much-needed control for nuisance weeds such as Virginia buttonweed, doveweed and spurge. So, as long as our highs don't consistently creep above 80 degrees again, you should be good to go with cool-season herbicide applications. Here's a recent tip sheet covering this timely topic.

Time to Divide & Conquer Bulbs - While October and November are considered the best months for serious landscape work like installs and re-dos, now is also the best time to divide and/or move the bulbs we love. So, here's a an overview on rules to live by.

Golden Rain Tree - Finally, I have to refer you to a tip sheet I've called up every autumn for years. It's about one of the most beautifully colored trees for this region. It's the specimen that is giving us those gorgeous mauve-colored bracts.