Winter is creeping up on us, and that means it’s time to get your landscape in shape for hibernation mode. Weekends in early October are perfect for wrapping up loose ends – and digging in now will free up your time so you can enjoy the cool weather with friends and family.
How to Prepare Your Lawn for Winter
Before you dive into these three tips on how to prepare your lawn for winter, make sure you’re starting with a clean slate. Rake up stray leaves, send dead annuals packing and uproot any end-of-season weeds that can steal valuable (and scarce) nutrients from your lawn during the winter. Once you’re in the clear, it’s time to get started on the work that will help ensure your landscape is as beautiful as ever when the last frost disappears.
Give Your Grass the Nutrients it Needs to Survive Winter
While you’re outside enjoying the spectacular display Tennessee trees create, carve out a little time to spread fertilizer over your lawn. That way it’s well-supplied when snow starts to fall. Don’t stop watering, either; even if it’s chilly, your lawn still needs about an inch of water every two to three weeks before the ground freezes.
Put a Blanket Around Perennials and Trees
Insulate your perennials with a healthy layer of mulch, even if they look like they’ve thrown in the towel. The root ball should be strong enough to withstand temperature extremes, but adding a blanket of mulch helps ensure it stays healthy until it blooms again. When you’re mulching around trees, make sure you keep it about 6 inches away from the trunk; it’s much less cozy for chipmunks and mice when temperatures dip. Many lawn experts recommend planting clover over your garden before winter hits. Since it’s nitrogen-rich, it makes an excellent fertilizer when you till in the spring.
Warning: Step Away from the Pruning Shears
Since pruning promotes growth, fall is the wrong time to start snipping. It’s okay to prune trees and shrubs if you’re removing completely dead wood, because that prevents unwelcome insects from taking up real estate – but aside from that, hang up the pruning shears until late winter.
A Little TLC Goes a Long Way
Most landscapes don’t need in-depth attention before winter. By putting in just a few hours of work while the weather is still pleasant, you can help ensure everything blooms beautifully when it’s time for a comeback. What are your hot winter prep tips? Do you have any time-saving (and lawn-saving) secrets to share? We’d love to talk to you about your remodeling or custom home building plans. Please fill out the contact form and we will get back with you shortly. [gravityform id=”9″ name=”Contact Us”]
