As fall colors brighten, then fade, and days grow shorter, thoughts turn toward readying your landscape for winter. Fall is an ideal time to give your yard extra care so it stays healthy and blooms beautifully when spring rolls around again. Autumn’s not only a time for reflection; it’s the season to safeguard the yard against the savage winter weather. It’s time to give your landscape what it needs to take off like a shot when spring finally arrives. Here are some of the best fall maintenance tips for preparing your landscape for winter.
Your Landscape for Winter: Essential Fall Maintenance Tips
Rake and Compost Fallen Leaves
Rake and remove fallen leaves off your lawn. It might seem like a layer of leaves on the lawn won’t matter to your grass. In reality, it smothers your lawn, preventing air and light from reaching it. It creates bare spots, fostering an environment where fungal diseases can develop and spread.
This damp environment is perfect for pests, giving them a breeding paradise in the decaying refuse left on the lawn. Rake up those leaves, let the lawn breathe, and bask in the sun. Think about composting the leaves to reuse as mulch around your garden beds this spring.
Preparing Your Landscape for Winter By Aerate Your Lawn
Fall is the perfect time to aerate your lawn if it’s compacted or stressed from the summer heat. Prepare your lawn by doing this before the ground freezes. This helps lawns with clay soil or lots of foot traffic in summer.
Aeration perforates the soil with small holes, allowing air, water, and nutrients to get to the roots of your grass and plants. It prevents soil compaction and encourages good root growth, strengthening the lawn.
You can either rent an aerator or hire a local landscaping company to do it.
Fertilize for Winter Health
Apply slow-release fertilizer to the lawn during fall into the run-up towards winter. Fertilizer will feed your plants with essential nutrients. Therefore, this facilitates their survival during the colder months and harsh winter temperatures.
Look for fertilizers with high potassium levels to improve the hardiness of grass and plants during the chilly weather. Always follow the recommended application by the manufacturer and avoid over-fertilization, it hurts the grass and plants.
Pruning Trees and Shrubs
Promote healthy development and reduce the potential risk of breaking under fallen snow and ice by Prune your trees and shrubs. Give your plants, trees, and shrubs a base shape by removing dead or damaged branches. The trick here is to avoid over-pruning as it exposes plants to damage when removing too much foliage.
For newly planted trees and shrubs, apply tree wrap in the fall and remove it in the spring. This will help protect them for the winter.
Mulch Garden Beds To Prepare Your Landscape for Winter
Mulch warms soil and roots during the winter and stops the soil from drying out. It insulates garden beds and can deliver nutrients to plant roots. Apply a layer of mulch to an area 2 to 3 inches deep around the base of your plants and trees. Use organic mulch like shredded leaves, bark chips, and straw.
Preparing your landscape for winter includes protecting your flower garden and bulbs. This will help them survive the cold winter months by:
- Dividing perennials and transplanting cool-season plants
- Pull weeds to ensure a more substantial garden next growing season
- Clean your garden tools- this prevents bacteria buildup and infection
- Dig up tender bulbs and plant spring-blooming bulbs
Winterize Your Irrigation System
If you have an irrigation system, winterize the sprinklers before the first freeze. Drain and blow out the water from the system, preventing pipes from freezing and bursting during steep overnight temperature drops. Your sprinkler system will be ready to roll in the spring with no unexpected repairs if well-maintained.
Preparing Your Landscape For winter
Preparing your landscape for winter is essential for keeping it healthy throughout the next growing season. Removing debris, trimming shrubs, and protecting tender plants are just a few ways to encourage a better return on your landscape next season.
Arbor Hills Landscaping Company Omaha | Best Landscaping Company in Omaha, NE
Arbor Hills Trees & Landscaping Services can provide you with everything from detailed maintenance programs to unique plant production, and other services in between. That means we build water features, walls, patios, irrigation, walkways, outdoor kitchens, lighting, and anything else you can help us dream up. Our professionally trained staff can build the landscape of your dreams and keep you from breaking any Home Landscaping Rules.
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Mulch & Rock Landscaping Services
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