With Winter right around the corner, you’ll want to be as prepared as possible. Fall has come to an end, but it is not a time to forget about your lawn or garden. It is the perfect time to prepare for winter, so you can have a bountiful and beautiful yard come spring.
If you’re a homeowner devoted to your lawn and garden, think of the winter as an off-season rest for both you and your beloved greenery. With proper direction, you can prepare your lawn for the approaching cold months.
1. Aerate ASAP
Your lawn will have more of a fighting chance to bounce back beautifully come spring if you aerate it while it is still green. The goal here is to give your lawn some breathing room as it transitions into the cold season. Aerating in the fall breaks up the dry, compacted soil and makes it possible for water and nutrients to reach the roots. If you’re dedicated, hand watering your yard during the winter can help it “green-up” faster in the spring.
2. Condition the Soil
I know what you’re thinking, “Conditioner? For my lawn?” Proper lawn care calls for caring for the soil beneath it as well. Soil conditioner will help your lawn spring back to life and help to eliminate any brown spots later.
3. Help Keep It Green
Make your time count and the money you’ve invested in mowing, trimming and maintaining your lawn by choosing to fertilize it in the fall. Fall weed control will kill perennial weeds, like dandelions and thistles more effectively than trying to treat them in the summer.
4. Cut Your Perennials
Once temperatures start to get around freezing and your plants start to die back, cut back the stems of your perennials to an inch or two off the ground. Toward late fall, consider adding light mulch such as hay, straw or pine needles. Continue to renew the top few inches of mulch in your flower beds to protect perennials from hard freezes. When placing mulch around a tree, pile the mulch more like a donut and less like a volcano. This will prevent critters from digging around and feasting off of the tree.
5. Plant Now
It seems like a silly idea to do some planting in the late fall months, but you still have time to do some planting that will produce results in the spring. The cool air and warm soil during the fall can be the best time to plant trees and shrubs. By planting now, new trees and shrubs can get accustomed to their new home before the enduring days of summer.