Why Preparing Your Landscape For Fall & Winter Is So Important
It won’t be long before fall will quickly turn to winter in New Jersey. This is the time to prepare your landscape for the season. Preparing the landscape is important for many reasons other than aesthetics.
As the temperatures drop, the leaves start to fall and all the leaves and other mess gets scattered across the yard. The longer it sits, the more problems it will cause after it gets coated by snow and ice. Not only will your yard look cluttered, but the debris left on the lawn and around your home will decay under the winter snows.
Preparing your landscape for the dormant season will include cleaning up the debris. But it will also involve doing a number of other tasks to ensure that your landscape investment stays healthy. With proper preparations, you should see everything thriving next spring. Here are a few tips about what needs to be done.
Seasonal Yard Cleanups
If a seasonal yard cleanup is done, the risk of having an unhealthy turf or an insect infestation next spring will be greatly reduced. When leaves, dead tree branches, and other landscape debris is left on the ground after fall is over, the winter moisture and spring humidity levels will mix with the debris as it deteriorates.
Since all the debris was left on the ground, it begins to form mildew under the top leaf layer. This is a natural process which replenishes the soil. The mildew helps to break down the debris, turning it into the soil over time. Mildew will thrive in this condition as the temperatures start to warm up and the snow melts.
Not only does mildew thrive in all that organic matter, but insects thrive underneath the top layer as well. Insects also help to break down the leaves, branches, and other organic matter. But you don’t want to have problems with insects.
The turf will suffer as well. If you have any grass growing at all, a yard cleanup is important this fall. If the debris is left and it covers the turf, it will suffocate and compact the grass as well as the soil. When the weather warms and moisture is present, the grass will try to grow but the roots have to push their way through hard, compacted soil. If this happens, it can easily die off in patches so then you’ll need to dethatch the grass if you expect it to thrive.
A yard cleanup during fall in New Jersey will help your landscape to thrive after winter. Here are some other tasks that need to be done during this time.
Bush, Hedge, & Tree Trimming
The bushes, hedges, and trees of your landscape will need to be put to bed for the dormant season. Of course, some are evergreens which aren’t dormant in winter. If you prune too much at the wrong time, the foliage could be injured and die off or the injury could make it susceptible to disease.
It’s important, therefore, to know which is which and what needs to be done during fall and winter seasons before you do any pruning or trimming. This is where hiring a professional landscaper will really make a difference.
A local New Jersey landscaper like us at McCabe’s Tree Experts will know the different species involved in your landscape. With their professional advice, you should have no problem preparing your yard for fall and winter seasons.
Mulching Trees, Flower Beds, & Shrubs
New mulch should be applied around trees, in flower beds, and under shrubs. The best mulch is the organic types which help nourish the soil. Not only does this make your landscape look better, good mulching blocks the weeds and prevents evaporation so the soil is healthier.
If you take care of the mulching during fall, it will protect the roots of the trees, flowers, and shrubs as well by holding warmth in. With the proper preparations now, you will have a gorgeous landscape come spring.
