by Tina Martin
In late Autumn, many changes appear in the garden. Leaves fall, and some smaller bushes, shrubs, and plants can start to shrivel. While some plants may be dormant during the winter, that does not mean you are left with no action or directive for November. The cold season is the season your yard and garden is at the most risk. Mold, compaction, and a lack of nutrients are but a few of the things that can hinder growth in your yard.
In order to keep the plants in your yard and garden healthy going into next spring, we suggest you try a proactive approach in the fall.
Garden Tips
In the fall, venturing out early into the garden is essential if you want to avoid the dreaded spring restart. As you already know, each plant rooted in your garden has its own seasonal lifespan. Identifying and maneuvering different sorts of plants in cohesion with the season they thrive most in will help your overall garden’s health.
● Assess where you stand. Go over each area and determine which summer plants were successful. Trim any that have overgrown. Find any patches of soil that seem bare.
● Add healthy mulch. Add a healthy, moist mulch around the base of each area. Check for any discoloration, as this may be a sign of harmful mold.
● Replace summer annuals. The winter will likely bring an end to any summer-season plants that can’t hold-up. Try potting them and placing them in windows. For easy replacement ideas, pansies, mums, and violas look beautiful and are hardy enough for the winter.
Yard Ideas
Apart from your garden, the rest of your yard will need careful attention before winter. Similar to garden health, your yard can easily fall victim to smothering by mold, and overbearing leaves. While you tend to the garden, make sure to keep a keen eye on the status of the other plant life surrounding you.
To begin the process of prepping your yard, rake the leaves. Raking leaves and other debris is directly connected to the vitality of your yard. When grasses, bushes, and shrubs are faced with matting layers of dead leaves, bad outcomes tend to occur. Sunlight does not reach the bottom plants, depriving them of vital nutrients. Also, stagnant water that lies upon dead material develops mold. That mold eventually filters down into the soil which can inhibit all other plant growth.
Raking your leaves and composting them is the best option during the winter. Composted leaves can be applied to both gardens and yards and can aid nutrients in the soil.
Lawn Care
Good news! Not only can your lawn be salvaged, but it can also thrive and be ready for the return of spring. A majority of North American types of grass grow the most between the months of September through November. Because of this, tending to your lawn in the fall enables a more productive seed life going into the winter. To keep your lawn healthy, perform the following:
● Aerating: Aerating your lawn is a process every lawn enthusiast should go through during the fall. By opening up solid spaces in the soil, the soil is allowed to breathe and receive nutrients more easily. Also, water and sunlight can pass through making life easier for new seeds.
● Trimming: Set your lawn mower lower than what you normally would during the summer. Longer blades of grass tend to get matted by heavy frost, which can potentially kill them.
● Fertilizing: Most seeds, in response to drought, go into a mild dormancy during the hot and dry summer months. Once fall hits, however, seeds and plants exhibit higher growth rates. This means that one of the best times to add fertilizer is during the fall when lawns need it most.
● Remove dead or dying trees: Diseased or dead trees pose a hazard, and before winter sets in, it’s wise to connect with a tree removal service. These specialists can assess the health of your trees and determine what needs to be removed and what can be saved. Only consider professionals with strong reviews and top ratings.
Just because the summer is over doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot of important work to do in your garden and yard. By using the above tips, you can make sure your lawn and plants are healthy and protected over the winter.