Last Updated on October 31, 2021 by Phil
In most areas of the country, wintertime means snow, dry winds and very cold weather. None of these are good for plants. To keep them safe and healthy until spring comes, here’s how to prepare your lawn and garden for winter.
Extreme cold weather and snow isn’t ideal for any kind of life. People don’t like it and so do plants. While snow is nice to look at the first few times, it quickly turns being bothersome.
You have to shovel it to get your car out of the driveway. It turns black once the dirt, smoke and other things contaminate it. And, it makes the ground slippery which increases your risk of accidents.
So, to keep your plants from experiencing the brunt of the winter environment, here are some easy to follow tips that you can do before the cold months come.
How To Prepare Your Lawn and Garden For Winter
Rake and Collect Leaves
Winter comes after the fall. This means that leaves will be all over. If you have a few trees in your yard, there’s a high likelihood that your lawn is covered with leaves.
While clearing out the leaves may be chore, it’s important to do them. This lets your grass enjoy the air and pick up any kind of sunlight they can. It also prevents objects and debris that have collected with the leaves to cover your grass.
Clear Your Yard of Debris
Along with raking and collecting the leaves, it’s important to pick up any debris that’s fallen on your lawn and garden. This can be anything from small rocks, fruits, dead flowers, dead pests or other items.
Getting rid of these things will prevent other things, be it animals, critters or other pests from coming to your garden.
Aerate Your Lawn
Aerating is usually left for the spring when the sun comes out and the weather starts to get warmer. This allows the soil to open up and take in more air, water and light.
Core aerating your lawn right before the winter also helps. Although it’s extra work, this will help get rid of soil plugs and prevent it from getting too compacted, especially with the cold.
To make this work as easy as possible, it’s a good idea to get a lawn aerator.
Reseed Bald Spots
To prevent bald patches from worsening, reseeding them is a good idea. This is actually easier to do during the fall because there’s more moisture and the temperature is colder.
Doing so now will help eliminate the bald areas of your lawn so that they don’t expand too far.
Bring Plants Indoors
Most plants aren’t fond of the cold weather. But, some are able to withstand the winter, depending on how bad it gets where you live.
However, there are a good number of plants that aren’t suited for even mild frost. So, it’s important to bring them indoors. Otherwise, you’ll come back spring time to see that all your hard work is gone.
Before you bring the plants indoors, it’s important to clean them thoroughly. This prevents bugs, bacteria and other possible diseases from getting into your home.
Get Rid of Old, Rotting Plants
Another good task to do is get rid of plants that are rotting or dying. These not only make your garden unpleasant to look at, they can also cause the rest of the plants to get sick.
Like people, plant disease, fungus and pests and spread. Because the plants are grown in the soil, it’s easy for these problems to expand the area they affect.
Clear Weeds
Weeds are never good when it comes to your lawn or garden. Because they’re invasive it’s a good idea to get rid of them before they cover a big part of your garden.
Weeds are bothersome because they make your garden ugly. More importantly, the compete with your plants for nutrients. Because they’re better at doing so, they end up growing much faster.
As a result, your plants don’t get enough nutrients even if you give them enough fertilizer. So, over time, you’ll see your flowers wilt or not grow to their full potential.
Prune Perennials
Pruning is a good way to encourage your plants to keep growing. It prevents them from reaching the end of their growth cycle so they live longer.
This makes the fall ideal for pruning your garden. This helps it get back into growth mode and helps bring your garden alive again.
Add Compost
Compost is a great way to help nourish your lawn and garden. It’s free because you’re using waste products and things that you don’t need anymore.
Adding compost helps make the soil growth friendly for plants. It also helps reduce the amount of fertilizer you need to use on your lawn.
Refill Mulch
Mulch serves as a great protective layer for your lawn during extreme weather. During the summer, it helps keep moisture and prevents too much heat and intense sunlight from damaging the grass and plants.
In the winter it also protects the grass and soil from the harsh cold weather. This reduces the risk of freezing, and the thawing that comes after.
Clear Your Pond If You Have One
If you have a pond in your yard or garden, it’s important to clear it out as well. During the fall, the water will likely experience droppings, falling leaves and other debris.
To keep the water clear and the environment safe for your fish, get rid of any fallen debris or excess items that are in your pond.
Wrap Your Trees to Prevent Cracking
Frost is very harmful for trees because it makes them fragile. When the bark of trees get too cold and freeze, they become more prone to cracking.
Just like objects that are frozen, this makes the easier to break up. As a result, it compromises the integrity of your tree. Cracks make its structure weaker and easier to split.
To prevent this from happening, it’s a good idea to wrap the bark of your trees to protect them from cracking.
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