How to Winterize Your Lawn

Just like good sleep hygiene helps us sleep better, fall garden prep will ensure your yard is better prepared for the coming cold and frost. Also, it helps it achieve a quicker spring recovery after the winter thaw.

Prune Summer Growth

Pull out your pruning shears and tidy the garden by trimming excess summer growth, including cutting flowering perennials. Detailed pruning manuals are available at garden centres.

Ditch Debris

Dig up annuals, remove yellowing or dead leaves and flowers before rot develops. Pluck weeds from your lawn and flower beds, looking under plant foliage where weeds can hide.

Care for Compost

Keep the bin warm from harsh winter temperatures and strong winds. Pile straw or hay bales around your bin. Full leaf bags work too! This will help keep important compost critters toasty all winter long.

Pamper Your Lawn

Pre-winter care includes aerating your lawn to reduce compaction and make it easier for fertilizer and water to reach the roots. Fall fertilizing gives your lawn the nutrients it needs to stay lush and healthy.

Plant Bulbs to Bloom in Spring

Fall is the time to plant spring bulbs. While the soil is still warm and moisture levels are increasing, plants are able to establish themselves before the real cold sets in.

 Cover Lawn Furniture

Snow and ice can damage furniture left outside. If you can, move your garden furniture indoors. If you can’t, be sure to cover them with a tarpaulin sheet, securely fixed, but allow some air to circulate so that the furniture is not damp all winter.

Turn Off Outside Tap

Turn off water to the outside tap from the inside source. Drain the hose, then bring indoors, This will avoid unnecessary wear, tear and cracks.

Now, your yard is ready for winter, how about your furnace? Click here for a few tips!

Is your Furnace Ready for the Cold Weather?

Photo by Wendy Aros-Routman on Unsplash