September 23, 2020

Worker operating heavy duty leaf blower in city park. Removing fallen leaves in autumn. Leaves swirling up. Foliage cleaning in fall

Ensuring a beautiful lawn and garden means you’ll have to get your landscape ready in the fall. Winter can be very tough on your landscaping. Preparing and protecting your grass and beds in the fall will get everything off to a great start once the warm weather returns in the spring.

1. Prepare Your Lawn

You want to make sure that your lawn will thrive, even during the winter months. Rake leaves and remove any fallen sticks. If you don’t clean up your yard in the fall, the leaves and debris can smother your lawn, stunting the growth of new grass or even killing it. When you do your last mowing of the season, cut the grass short, so the grass is a max of 2-2.5 inches. Finally, aerate and fertilize before the first hard frost. Your lawn will draw up the nutrients as soon as winter is over and the new growing season begins.

2. Protect Trees and Shrubs

There are a few different things you can do to protect your trees and shrubs over the winter. Apply wire mesh to the base of young trees, which will protect them against wildlife. Wrapping with burlap may also help protect your trees and shrubs from salt spray and winter weather.

3. Mulch

Mulch isn’t just to make your landscape attractive in the warmer months. Mulching your beds and around trees will add extra protection over the winter. Mulch will help prevent erosion and water loss, as well as insulate the roots.

4. Winterize Your Irrigation System

If you don’t winterize your irrigation system before the first freeze you could end up with costly repairs. Use compressed air to remove all the water from the system so there is no chance of freezing. If you aren’t sure how to winterize your irrigation system, talk to a landscaping expert about how to make sure you won’t incur any damage during the winter.

5. Cut Back Your Perennials

Fall is a great time for pruning. Most perennials do best when they are pruned at the beginning of the dormant season. Once the plants have died back, cut the stems to about an inch or two, then add additional much to insulate the perennials against hard freezes.

6. Plant for the Spring

Most of the time we think of planting as a spring job, but there is plenty of planting that can be done in the fall to reap the benefits early in the spring. The cool air and warm soil of fall is the best time to plant trees and shrubs, giving them the dormant winter season to adjust to their new home before the heat of summer. Any bulbs should be in the ground by mid-October, which will make your landscape beautiful as soon as spring arrives.

7. Seed the Bare Spots

If your soil is compacted, fall is a great time to aerate your lawn. Aerating will allow water and nutrients to reach the roots. Many landscapers recommend “over-seeding” in the fall so your lawn will fill in nicely.

Taking the time to winterize your lawn and landscaping in the fall will ensure that you are able to enjoy your landscaping and lawn early in the spring! Speaking to a landscaping expert about the specific needs your property may have is a great way to get started. It’s not always easy to stay up on the maintenance of your lawn, and we can help. Contact Twin Oaks Landscape today to talk about some seasonal TLC for your property to keep it looking its best.