How do I winterize my lawn?
With winter fast approaching, your yard will soon be covered in snow, so there’s no point in taking care of it anymore, right? Wrong! Prepping your lawn in the fall is one of the best ways to guarantee a green, healthy lawn in the spring – doing a little work now will save you a big headache later. Grab your gloves (and maybe a sweatshirt) and get ready to tackle these top 5 fall landscaping ideas.
Lay mulch around the base of trees, shrubs and plants to protect the roots from frost, and seal in moisture on dry winter days. But be careful, not all mulch was created equal. Avoid using free mulch from municipal piles because it’s usually made from trees that died from disease. That same disease can linger in the mulch and kill or weaken your plants as well.
Tidy up, but don’t prune. Clear out any dead or decaying plants so you don’t have to look at them popping through the snow all season. But before you get too sheer happy, be careful not to actually prune your garden. Pruning plants stimulates growth, which isn’t something you want to do right before they plan to be dormant.
Cover your shrubs and plants. Most plants can handle the cold winter air pretty well, but if you live somewhere prone to freezing temperatures, ice storms or strong winds, you should look into wrapping expensive shrubs or plants. Preserve your favorite plants by covering them with small pots or buckets, and wrap pricy shrubs in burlap for added warmth.
Aerate your lawn. If you really want to show off your green thumb, consider aerating your lawn. By poking long, thin holes into your lawn, you leave room for more seeds to attach and grow. You can do this pretty easily with a manual aerator (which look like big shoes with spikes attached to them) or you can use a motorized one.
Hit fall sales for unbeatable deals. Shrubs and trees might not be the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear “shopping spree,” but taking advantage of fall deals now can save you big time in the spring. Most nurseries are looking to clear their shelves by early December, so they’ll usually drop their prices by as much as 50%. And don’t worry about storing those plants till spring, fall is actually the best time to plant young foliage because the cool weather is less harsh on new plants.
Could you use a hand getting your fall lawn care under control? If so, allow Turf Unlimited to assist. We offer a variety of professional lawn maintenance and shrub care services to help you keep your lawn looking lush all year round.
To learn more about the lawn care services we offer to Hillsborough County NH, Middlesex County MA and the surrounding areas, call 888-649-9919.
