HOW TO PREPARE YOUR YARD FOR WINTER

Winter is on its way! Don’t let all your hard work from the summer go to waste. It’s time to prepare your yard for the cold months ahead. When spring rolls around again, you want to have a good base to start with when it comes to landscaping, and cleaning up your yard as much as possible before the first snow fall is the best way to preserve your horticulture for next year. Here are some ways to prepare your property for this coming winter:

Knowing When to Mow Your Grass

Mowing your grass around every two weeks until all the leaves are on the ground will keep it healthy and short. This will help keep the grass from being suffocated by leaves. A good length to have your grass be at for the winter is about 3/4 of an inch for New England climates. It’s shorter than what it would typically be during the summer.

Winterize Your Irrigation

Now that fall is coming to an end, it’s a very important step to winterize your system. This means shutting down the system and draining all the water from it. Winterization prevents your pipes from freezing and ultimately bursting, along with your sprinkler heads. With lower temperatures, there’s no need to water your lawn during the winter, as doing so can cause your grass to freeze as the temperatures drop. Be sure to winterize your irrigation system and give your grass a break from watering. It will keep it healthier and happier.

Start Some Compost

If you want a compost pile for the next spring, the time to start is now! When you begin your yard clean-up before the winter, gather some of the debris lying around. This can be dry leaves, dirt, food scraps, etc. This compost will help your plants and flowers thrive come springtime! If you have a lot of leaves in your yard, don’t bag them. Instead, allow them to naturally decompose into compost. After the fall months have passed, use this compost in your flower beds and gardens during the upcoming spring season. It’s extremely rich in nutrients that will give your plants a great burst of growth! You can also add it to your compost pile or just leave it lying around in drifts.

Preventing Mosquitos From Spending Time in Your Yard

During the fall, many people think mosquitos are gone for the year. They’re wrong! When you are caring for your yard, check and make sure you don’t have any stagnant water. Mosquitos are attracted to it. It can collect in piles of leaves, birdbaths, and flower pots. Empty it all to avoid having an abundance of mosquitos living in your yard. You don’t want these pests around!

Don’t Touch Snow

If you have an early snowfall this year, don’t try to move the snow off of grass or flower beds. The snow will protect your grass and flower beds from cold winds and other weather. It becomes a source of insulation to keep them safe. If you try to shovel certain areas, the grass may not grow back correctly in the spring. Only shovel and plow your driveway, walkways, and patios. Avoid touching anything that grows!

Trim Tree Branches

Before the winter sets in permanently, make sure you trim any tree branches overhanging roofs or walkways. They can break off with strong winds and cause damage to whatever they hit when they finally do fall. Branches over a roof where snow collects are especially dangerous. Snow weighs a lot, and it can add tons of weight to branches that already have a hard time holding themselves up under the snow. So, trim them before winter hits!

Don’t Forget Your Fences

Fences are just as important to winterize as you lawn, house, and garden. In fact, they’re just as important during the rest of the year too! Frozen sprinkler lines can sometimes even crack or break your fence posts. So, it’s essential that you spray them with foam insulation before the first cold front comes through. This will keep your posts safe from freezing overnight temperatures.

Be Smart About What You Bring Indoors

After fall cleanup is completely over, take all of your wood inside except for what you’ll need for a fire pit or fireplace. Stacks stored outside are bound to get wet which causes them to rot out much faster than if they were kept dry. If you have any other plants left outdoors after clean-up is complete (such as trees or shrubs), cover them with burlap before the first frost. That way, they stay warm and safe during the cold winter nights.

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As you can see, there are many things to do during fall to prepare your yard for winter. Many of these issues are things that are also important throughout spring and summer too! So, you have plenty of work ahead of you this season! But it is completely possible if you just start now! Done Right Landscape is here to help you keep your yard looking its best all year long. Contact us to learn more about our landscaping services. Call us today or fill out our online contact form to get in touch!