YORK, Pa. — You’ve spent all summer maintaining and enjoying that beautiful outdoor space, but your work isn’t done yet!
Fall is a great time to think about lawn and garden prep for the spring.
Andrea Michaels has tips on what to do now to prepare for winter and set yourself up for success next spring.
“Think ahead”
That’s the mindset you need now to get through the winter and be ready for spring.
Starting at the top, quite literally, prevents issues during the winter.
Tate Kruszon, master inspector at Homechek, says early fall is the perfect time to examine taller trees for dead branches. “The leaves are still on the tree right now, so it’s a good opportunity to look for those dead limbs up there.”
You’ll want to remove them, or it might come back to haunt you later in fall and winter, especially if the branches are near your home or tangled up in power lines.
“That heavy snow and ice is going to weigh those lines down, and then you risk being out of power, or your cable line goes out, your phone line goes out, and you don’t have your wi-fi!” Kruszon added.
Closer to the ground, trim back plants, smaller trees, and bushes
Landscaping experts say the preferred time is early October, so they don’t begin to grow back before the cold arrives.
“If you have plants that are pretty big and spread out, if you get snow load on them over the winter, it can actually cause them to split,” says Matt Musser, the general manager at Inch&Co.'s landscape division.
This can happen to small trees like arborvitae, and there’s more you can do aside from trimming these back.
“You can get green tie at a garden center and tie them together, the two leaders, that way the snow doesn’t cause them to separate and crack,” Musser suggested.
Preserve the lawn you have now by keeping up with the leaves as they drop
It doesn’t take long to destroy a season of hard work and upkeep.
“If you let those leaves sit on the grass, inevitably, you’ll kill them within a couple of weeks of those leaves sitting there.”
September is also a great time to put seed and fertilizer down.
The cooler weather is favorable for filling dry patches or trying to thicken up your lawn even more for next year.
“The grass just loves these temperatures when it’s getting down to sixty at night,” Musser said
You can plant the usual mums for some autumn color, but you can also get a head start on spring by planting bulbs! Tulips are a popular choice, and Musser says it’s as easy as “set it and forget it.”
“They’ll come up in the spring. You won’t even have to think about them next year. They’ll come. They’ll bloom. They’ll be absolutely beautiful… and you’re done!”
The fall temperatures are also perfect for painting and sealing.
Whether it’s simple touchups or a full job, it adds a refreshed look that lasts into spring, ready to compliment the new grass and bulbs.
Experts like Kruszon say the sweet spot is 50 degrees and above, but you have to keep nighttime temperatures in mind too.
“We want to make sure we’re staying above freezing overnight for a few nights after you’re done painting,” Kruszon added.
Don’t waste any time adding these tips to your fall checklist!
When spring comes, all the neighbors will think you worked harder than you actually did!