Winter is coming, part 2

Continuing from our September blog post, when it comes to yard maintenance, certain things need to be done every fall (before winter hits) so you can have a beautiful outdoor space in the spring. Here is a quick punch list of the biggest items that will need attention.

Dethatching Your Lawn
Fall is the best time of the year to dethatch your lawn, removing the thick layer of dead leaves, stems, and roots, to promote healthy growth in the spring. You can do this with a special dethatching tool, or you can opt to aerate your lawn to prevent bare spots that may occur with dethatching.

Reseeding Your Lawn
After dethatching your lawn, it is a good idea to reseed your lawn to cover both open areas and thinning spots in your lawn. Reseeding is an excellent corrective and preventative step to help have a beautiful, thick lawn.

Fertilizing Lawn and Planted Areas
Adding fertilizer to your lawn and planted areas in the fall is an excellent way to give a boost to your plants, so you have a healthy, vibrant yard in the spring. Be sure to give your lawn and plants plenty of water after fertilizing so they don't "burn" and so that your fertilizer doesn't blow away.

Pruning Your Trees
Fall is a good time to prune your trees. Not only are trees dormant in the colder months, but it is also easier to see a tree’s structure when there are no leaves on the branches. Proper pruning is vital to the health of trees and plants, in part because it helps relieve stress on trees and keeps them growing.

Spreading Mulch
One of the best things you can do to protect your newly planted fall bulbs, shallow root plants, and young trees, is to cover the soil around those items with a generous layer of mulch. As a general rule of thumb, it is best to lay down mulch somewhere between 2-4" deep, avoiding touching trunks of trees or stems of plants so you will avoid any rot or disease issues.

Winterizing Your Irrigation
Winterizing your irrigation is not difficult to do, but it must be done properly and before freezing temperatures hit to prevent costly damage. A few simple steps can prevent things like busted irrigation lines, damaged hose bibs, and ruptured pipes.

Protecting Your Water Features
Similar to winterizing your irrigation, your water features may also need special protection from the colder weather. Generally speaking, it is okay to let your water features run year-round. There are two key considerations, though, to make this work. 1) your pump must have access to free-flowing, clean water at all times and 2) you must keep your pond or water feature free of leaves and other debris that could cause a blockage for your pump.

If this sounds like a lot of work, or simply more than you care to do yourself, please let us know. Our crew of experts would be happy to help you care for your yard.