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Preparing Your Lawn and Landscaping for Winter

24. January 2020 Chip Glennon Lawn Care Tips (0)

The things you must do to care for your lawn and landscaping change when fall and winter arrive. Fall brings mild temperatures and often moderate precipitation. It's a good season to perform restorative maintenance like fertilization and aeration. In winter, many plants either die or go into a time of no growth. Hard frosts and freeze/thaw cycles can wreak havoc on sensitive plants. Knowing what to do to prepare your lawn and landscaping for winter can help you protect your property, and ensure that your garden and lawn will be in good condition when spring and summer come around once again.

Aerate

Soil can become compact after a summer of intense temperatures, especially if your lawn didn't get enough water over the course of the season. Aerating your lawn prevents and reverses compaction, encourages good root development and prevents thatch from building up.

You can aerate your own lawn by renting a lawn aerator, or by hiring a landscaping company to do this for you. After aeration, your lawn will be covered in small, muddy chunks of soil, but soon enough those pieces will dissolve back into the earth.

After aerating your soil, spread a thin layer of compost over the aerated area. Compost adds nutrients to the soil, restores the soil's natural texture, and prevents the soil from becoming hard again.

Mulch

As the temperature outside drops, shallow roots become vulnerable to damage. Mulching around perennials and trees can protect these roots from the lowest temperatures. Mulch also keeps moisture in the ground, which can prevent some plants from drying out.

When mulching a vegetable garden, use undyed organic wood mulch. In a flower garden, feel free to use dyed mulches and mulches made from alternative materials. Spread the mulch on thick, but avoid piling mulch against the trunks of trees. Mulch piled against trees can lead to disease.

Re-Seed Your Lawn

Fall is a good time to re-seed your lawn. The cool temperatures are perfect for germinating seeds. Do this in mid-fall, when the last of summer weather has dissipated, but before the winter chill is in the air. Keep seeds well-watered for the first several weeks. Cut back your watering routine gradually until the new grass is hardy and healthy.

Fertilize Trees

Fall is a good time to fertilize your trees. Cool (but not freezing) temperatures are good for root development. Fertilizing at the right time will encourage the roots of your trees to grow stronger before the coming winter. When temperatures drop, a well-fertilized tree will be better able to withstand the frost and ice.

Before fertilizing, follow all manufacturer instructions. Trees have varying fertilizer requirements depending on the species, age of the tree, whether it produces fruit, and so on. Purchase the fertilizer to match the needs of your tree. Most fertilizers are made for specific types of plants, so you can find the right kind of tree fertilizer for your lawn.

Plant Bulbs

Planning in advance is a key part of growing a garden. Bulbs start growing in late winter and early spring as the ground thaws. Most bulbs need a period of cold weather before they will blossom. Plant bulbs in the fall to ensure that your bulbs will be ready to grow in spring. Tulips, daffodils and crocuses are common examples of bulb plants that need to spend time in the ground before they will sprout in early spring.

Rake Leaves

Rake your leaves regularly throughout the fall. Leaves left on the ground can lead to the growth of fungus in trees and plants. If left on the grass, leaves will starve the grass of sunlight and weaken the plant, causing disease. Leaves are a good ingredient for compost, so if you don't have a compost pile already, consider starting one now.

Continue to Mow Your Lawn

Grass continues to grow, even in fall. Allowing the grass to grow too long can lead to problems down the road. Continue to mow your lawn as needed, keeping in mind that grass may not grow as quickly in fall when temperatures are cooler. Strive to keep your grass the same length as it was when you were mowing it in summer.

Winterize Your Irrigation System

Water left in the pipes of your irrigation system can freeze in the middle of winter, causing the pipes to burst. Winterizing your irrigation system eliminates the water from the pipes to prevent this from happening.

If you're not able to keep up with lawn maintenance or are uncomfortable with certain DIY tasks, consider hiring a landscaping company to take care of your lawn throughout the winter and into the spring. Your lawn care company can help you keep your property in good condition, by tending the flowers, grass, trees and soil itself.

Four Ways to Have an Eco-Friendly Lawn

1. August 2019 Kristin Louis Lawn Care Tips, Your Yard and The Earth (0)

A healthy-looking lawn does wonders for your property. Not only does it make your house stand out on your block, but it can also provide flood control, dissipate suburban heat, reduce fire hazards and if you’re trying to sell, definitely gives your home some curb appeal. Lawn care is big business, too. In 2015 alone, U.S. households spent almost $16 billion on lawn care and gardening services, which includes supplies, equipment, and lawn and landscaping services. Clearly, we spend lots of money to have great-looking lawns and landscaping, but could all the pesticides, fertilizer, and growth and greening additives we use be harming the environment, too?

It’s easy to go overboard with all the products when trying to keep a nice-looking lawn. However, you can still have green, thick grass, along with healthy trees, shrubs, and a garden, and fewer or no weeds if you follow these steps to creating an eco-friendly lawn.

1. Keep Your Lawn Green Without Chemicals
Paul Tukey writing for Popular Mechanics suggests some ways to mow your lawn that will keep it green, including keeping the mower’s blades sharp, using a push or electric mower to cut back on pollution, and leaving clippings on the lawn to create a natural fertilizer. He also suggests using compost as a natural, root-level fertilizer for lawns, gardens, shrubbery, and trees.

2. Water Wisely
While an oscillating or spinning sprinkler is a symbol of summer lawn care, both of those can waste a lot of water if you don’t monitor their use. Another option for watering is using low-pressure drip irrigation, where nozzles are placed at the base of plants, trees, or shrubs and water is applied slowly. This method can lower your water use. While a drip irrigation system might initially be expensive, it does reduce water usage and energy costs and improves seed germination. Regardless of whether you use drip irrigation, a sprinkler, or hand-watering, the key to using any type of system to water your lawn or your garden is to soak the ground to the depth of the roots.

3. Use Our Friends, The Bugs
Why spray your garden and foliage with aphid and other control products when nature provides its very own: bugs! Goodhousekeeping.com lists several species that can keep your greenery free of damaging pests, such as aphids, caterpillars, and Japanese beetles. These natural pest killers include ladybugs, ground beetles, soldier beetles, and tachinid flies. Many of these same bugs also help keep lawns free of pests, too.

4. Consider Using Plants As Ground Cover Instead of Grass
Unless your home is on several acres of land and there’s nothing but a wide stretch of lawn between the street and your front porch, consider using plant life as ground cover instead of grass. You can use flower and shrub beds, clover (just don’t step on the bees), or even several varieties of moss. Many of these and others, especially the mosses, grow easily in the shade, are easier to water (which is where the drip irrigation system can work better), and you won’t have to drag out the lawnmower every weekend. However, the ground cover does invite a number of unwanted pests and will have to be weeded frequently before fully grown. But once your insect friends make their home in it and you keep weeds from becoming a problem naturally with compost and organic mulch, ground cover will make your whole front yard look like a garden.

It doesn’t take a lot of chemicals to have a nice-looking lawn, just sensible use of mowing and organic fertilizer, the wise use of water, putting nature’s pest controllers to work, and using alternatives to grass. So, get out your gardening tools, pull on your gloves, and go play in the dirt to create an eco-friendly lawn you’ll be proud to call yours.

Photo Credit: Pixabay.com

Spring Maintenance For The Home: How To Clean Up After Winter

9. April 2019 Clara Beaufort Lawn Care Tips (0)

Photo via Pixabay by Andreas160578

Spring maintenance around the house is a necessity once winter moves on for good, but many homeowners are at a loss when it comes to figuring out the best way to go about it without spending a ton of money. You may also be wavering back and forth between which projects are DIY and which ones will require a professional’s touch, and it’s important to make that decision from the start in order to prevent safety issues and damage.

Fortunately, there are several easy things you can do to spruce up your home--both inside and outside--when the weather turns nice. From the landscaping to the gutters, there are some simple fixes that won’t break the bank. Take a look around your property to get a feel for what needs to be done; for instance, if winter brought heavy storms, it’s a good idea to check out your roof and siding. Tree and dead limb removal may also be necessary around the yard, and while you can do some of this yourself, bigger jobs will require a professional tree service.

Here are just a few things you can do around your house when spring is in full bloom:

Find The Right Help
One of the first things you’ll want to think about when you’re ready to spruce up your home is whether or not you can do the job yourself. Many spring maintenance projects are DIY weekend tasks, but some will require special tools and knowledge, and calling in a pro means setting a budget. When you have an idea of what needs to be done, look online for the best services near you, and get a price quote so you’ll know what to expect.

Start With The Right Tools
The right tools can make a huge difference when you’re working on a project yourself, and you may need different items to accomplish different tasks. A good screwdriver set, a hammer and a mallet, and a cordless drill will go a long way toward helping you take care of your spring maintenance chores. If you aren’t a tool person and don’t know where to begin, look online for tool reviews and check out the best ones for the tasks on your list.

Prep Your Lawn
Sometimes, spring maintenance isn’t only about fixing things that became overgrown or broken in winter; when it comes to your lawn, there are several things you can do now to prep it for warmer weather so you’ll have beautiful pops of color and lush green grass. Weeding, mowing, removing dead branches and leaves, sprucing up flower beds with fresh mulch, and planting new bulbs and seeds is a great way to get your lawn into shape. To make the job easier, have the entire family get in on the act over a weekend, and give everyone a job to complete.

Check the Roof Winter
can be extremely harsh and unforgiving where your roof is concerned, so when the weather starts to turn warm and sunny, check out the uppermost space of your home for broken, cracked, or missing shingles or tiles, and make sure the gutters are in good working order and don’t have any debris or leaves in them. Roof repairs can be costly, so it’s best to leave the big jobs to a pro; otherwise, you may end up causing more damage and busting your budget.

Spring maintenance around the house can take some time, so make a plan before you get started that will lay out a timeline for all the jobs you need to get done. Create a budget so you aren’t overwhelmed at the last minute, and remember to get help from a professional for any job that requires electricity or plumbing.

10 Questions to Ask Yourself When Picking Garden Flowers

22. October 2018 Kelli Gardener Lawn Care Tips, Your Yard and The Earth (0)

Planting flowers in your garden lets you spend time in your yard, while also making it the perfect place to relax. Flowers bring color and beauty while adding texture and height variation throughout the garden. One key to arranging your flower garden is to pick the flower varieties that best suit your gardening needs.

1) What Areas in Your Yard Get the Best Sunshine?

Understanding the sunshine levels or your various garden plots will help you pick the right plants to thrive in your yard. Evaluate your light spots based on whether it receives full light, partial light, or shade. Full light is commonly described as the light that directly hits a spot. Partial light refers to a spot that is bright but doesn't receive direct light, and a shady spot will receive almost no direct or bright light.

2) Is Your Climate Particularly Dry or Humid?

While there are many flower varieties that can be gardened in almost any climate, it can sometimes be difficult to cultivate tropical or temperate flowers in dry climates without a lot of watering and irrigation. Aim for flowers that are drought tolerant, and you may want to expand your idea of flowering plants to include succulents and cacti. Those in more humid climates can use more tropical flowers in their gardens.

3) How Much Time Do You Have to Care for Your Flowers?

Some flowers are considered more high maintenance than others. Many of the most iconic flowers require the highest maintenance, including lilies, roses, dahlias, and tulips. If you don't have the time to nurture these beauties, you might opt for lower maintenance flower varieties such as cone flowers, daylilies, and cosmos.

4) Do You Have Children or Pets Around the Yard?

As a matter of safety, if you often have children or pets around the yard, it's recommended to look into your favorite plant varieties in case they're potentially toxic to eat. If you're worried about toxic flowers in your yard, you'll want to avoid planting hydrangea, azalea, wisteria, as well as a whole list of others. To keep your yard safe, opt for edible garden flowers such as marigolds, alliums, nasturtiums, pansies, honeysuckles, and daylilies.

5) What Plants Are Native to Your Area?

There are many benefits to planting local varieties, as they can create environments for local ecosystems and wildlife. These are also plants that are already adapted to the environmental conditions of your yard and climate, making them quick growing and hardy. This means that they are lower maintenance than other varieties.

6) Do You Have Size Requirements for Your Flowers’ Growth?

Different flowers grow in different shapes and sizes. Some make ground cover, staying low to the earth, while others grow in vines, bushes, or stalks. The size of the flowers that you need will depend on the space where you want to plant the flowers. Be sure to choose a variety that will grow healthily in your chosen garden plots.

7) Should You Plant Annuals or Perennials?

Most gardeners will recommend that perennial flowers form the basis of your gardening. These are flowers that will grow back in the same place year after year. Perennials are preferred because they do not require you to plant your full flower garden every year. Then you can fill in the blank spaces with the annual flowers that you want and even switch it up each year.

8) Do You Have a Color or Theme Preference?

Colors and flower themes can give you garden a different feel for when it comes time to relax and enjoy the outdoors. Cool colors, such as blues, purples, and greens, will give your garden a calming atmosphere. Warmer colors, such as reds and yellows, will add energy to your yard. Similarly, it can add a lot of fun to your garden to use thematic flower choices.

9) Should You Buy Blooms or Buds?

When you go to purchase your transplant flowers, you will see some flowers have more buds on them than flowers. It's often better to purchase the plants with more buds. This is because plants with buds will continue to bloom longer in the season.

10) Should You Plan a Blooming Plant for Every Season?

Many gardeners want their yard to bloom all year round. It's very rare to have a flower variety that doesn't go dormant at some point. However, in your planning stage, you can pick a variety of perennials that will bloom throughout the year, from early spring to late fall, to give your yard flowering plants all year round.

Ultimately, picking flowers is a combination of knowing your personal preference, local climate, sun conditions, and the amount of time available to you for gardening.