How to Winterize Your Landscaping
Whether you live in the Hudson Valley year round or have a weekend place that gets closed up until spring returns, there are tasks you can accomplish in autumn to ensure your lawn and landscaping gets off to a great start once the warm, sunny weather returns.
Lawn Care
- Remove Weeds & Broadleaf – By doing this task now, you take away some of the competition for available nutrients and water needed by your lawn.
- Have a soil test – If you soil is too alkaline, apply sulphur. If it’s acidic, apply lime.
- Rake the leaves – While most people use blowers, raking also provides another benefit. A vigorous raking helps to dethatch your lawn.
- If you seeded your lawn, now is the perfect time to fertilize with something like Scotts’ WinterGuard Turf Builder.
Shrubs and Tree Care
- Small shrubs can be protected from winter damage with a lean-to or teepee that keeps heavy snow off their limbs. Delicate shrubs should be wrapped with a breathable fabric like burlap.
- Once larger deciduous trees and shrubs lose their leaves and before the ground freezes, give them a final and deep watering.
- Evergreens require the same deep watering as deciduous trees and shrubs.
Garden Bed Care
- For annual and vegetable garden beds, plant a cover crop or apply mulch. The leaves you rake are a good and readily available source of mulch.
- Remove old stalks and leaves from perennial beds.
- Clear any fruits and vegetables left in the garden as they provide the perfect environment for rodents.
Equipment Care
- Drain gas out of equipment like mowers and rototillers.
- Bring in the garden hoses and turn off its water source.
- Change the oil in your snowblower, install a new spark plug and do a general inspection. Then add fresh gas so you’ll be in top shape when that first snowfall arrives.
Outdoor Living Area Care
- Clean and store garden pots.
- Bring in outdoor furniture or cover them with specially designed covers.
- Winterize pipes to outdoor kitchens.
