Learning how to prepare your lawn and yard for the winter properly is crucial to having a beautiful landscape in the spring. We never know when the first winter storm will hit, as sometimes we get early ones, and utilize the last few lovely fall days for yard preparation for the winter. We put together this short guide to help you with your fall cleanup.
During winter, many plants, shrubs, flowers, and your lawn will go into a dormant, regenerative period to prepare for the temperature change. Winter lawn preparation is important so you do not have brown patches in the spring. However, they’ll benefit from proactive seasonal preparation and maintenance during this time. That’s why the expert landscapers in Dracut, MA, from Dracut Landscaping, have compiled this helpful guide for you here.
If you want to ensure proper growth come spring, here are some of the best ways.
1. Prepare Your Lawn and plants for the winter dormancy
There are many things you can do to prepare your lawn/landscape for dormancy, including:
- Raking Leaves & Yard Debris: The fall brings cold weather and a bunch of leaves and pine needles to your yard. Getting all those fallen leaves and other yard debris, such as twigs and branches, is essential for your lawn and landscape. You don’t want them decaying underneath the snow all winter. Doing so will help prevent the stunting of new grass growth or big brown patches of dead grass come spring.
- Cutting Your Lawn Shorter than Usual: Cutting your lawn shorter with your lawn mower will help minimize damage from pests during winter. During its regular growth season, you should mow your lawn between 3-3.5 inches, but when preparing for winter, cut it down to 2-2.5 inches for optimal results.
- Aerating and then Fertilizing Before the Cold Sets In: Aerating your lawn’s soil and fertilizing it before the first freeze is recommended because it enables it to draw on the necessary nutrients and have the proper oxygen levels and space to grow come springtime. Always consult your local nursery or home and garden store for the appropriate lawn fertilizer for fall and winter.
- Stake your Driveway and Walkways: You always want to mark the edge of your lawn with stakes, so you know where your lawn begins when clearing snow with a snow blower, especially if you hire a snowplow company. You do not want plows damaging your lawn during the winter, which will need to be repaired in the spring.
2. Protecting Trees & Shrubs
You can protect your trees and shrubs during winter by:
- Pruning Your Plants: This might come as a surprise, but pruning trees and shrubs during winter is much better for them than doing so during a period of growth. This is because it will give your plants much more time to heal before spring and the new growth period.
- Install Wire Mesh on Young Trees: Installing wire mesh on young trees can help reduce damage due to winter weather. This is especially true in the New England states like Massachusetts and New Hampshire due to the amount of snowfall we get per season and protects the trees from damage from wildlife. If you planted a beautiful Japanese Maple tree, you want to protect your investment.
- Add Mulch: Adding a layer of mulch before winter prevents soil erosion and water loss and creates an added layer of protection for plants and shrubs. It also helps the roots maintain a more stable temperature.
- Guard Against Water Loss: Protecting your lawn and landscape against water loss during the winter is key. To do so, you can use burlap wrapping and apply anti-transpirants to your trees and shrubs.
3. Taking Precautions throughout the Winter Season
Snow and ice, in particular, can damage your lawn and landscape, especially in certain areas along pathways and driveways that may be sanded, salted, or plowed. You can minimize salt damage by flushing soil with water if the weather allows or reducing the amount used.
Let us be your landscapers in Dracut, MA
We provided you with this short guide, but if you keep putting off doing your fall cleanup and rather spend your weekend watching College and NFL football instead of using leaf blowers and rakes, reach out to us and schedule your fall cleanup and you enjoy watching football games.
Save your back and let the professionals clean up your yard this fall, contact us online today or call (978) 957-6243 to request a quote.
