Fall is here! Temperatures are just starting to fluctuate and before we know it, it will be winter. We want to help you prepare your landscape for the coming months of cold. Your landscape requires care before winter so your plants stay healthy and strong. Come spring, they won’t need to be replaced and your plants will flourish in the spring as the temperatures rise again.

There are several ways we at MSNW prepare our client landscapes for winter. This includes aeration, overseeding, fertilization, mulching, leaf clean-up, and irrigation system winterization. Each landscape has unique needs depending on the types of plants and landscape features.

Below is a list with descriptions and tips for how to prepare your landscape for winter:

1. Aeration. Aerate your lawn. Aeration is the process of removing small pockets of soil or punching small holes in the ground several inches deep. One of the main things you prevent by aerating is a large thatch area. A thatch area is congested with stems and roots just below the surface of the grass that create a barrier that limits the amount of water and nutrients that can reach the roots. When planning to aerate, we recommend paying attention to the specific climate you live in and the type of grass you have to determine when it’s best to aerate. One grass is not the same as the other and northern climates are not the same as southern climates. Aeration has many benefits including weed reduction, improved drainage, deep root growth, minimized soil compaction, and better fertilization uptake. Aeration does require special equipment and is well worth the investment of renting tools or hiring professionals. 
2. Overseeding. Overseeding is the process of adding more grass seed to a lawn without turning the topsoil and it works great to overseed after the aeration process. One of the main benefits of overseeding is filling in patchy grass. Another worthy benefit of overseeding is choking weeds so it’s not green weeds and small pockets of grass. Overseeding is actually just part of lawn maintenance. You may have seen huge fields of grass at parks or abandoned fields, but they are chock full of weeds and hard dirt, this is what happens to grass that is not properly maintained with periodic aeration and overseeding. 
3. Fertilization. Fertilizing in the fall gives your plants strength throughout the winter. Fertilizers should not only be applied to grass but can also be applied to trees and shrubs. The best time to fertilize in the fall is just before the first expected frost. You can look up the specific frost date in your area here: https://www.almanac.com/gardening/frostdates. Some say two-three weeks before the first frost is the best time to fertilize, but it truly depends on the weather conditions. For example, fertilizing before a big rain storm would cause runoff. Plan to fertilize your lawn in the morning or evening and do so when the grass is fairly dry, so not immediately after a storm or sprinklers. You will want to use a slow-release fertilizer. Did you know that our trees and shrubs enter a dormancy stage in the winter in which they slow growth and work to maintain nutrients, but they still grow even in the cold? Trees and shrubs can come out of dormancy in the springtime strong and ready to grow just by us being vigilant with fertilizer application in the fall. One thing to remember is that the application should be when the plants are starting to go dormant and not before that so new budding growth does not occur only to be killed by the freezing temperatures. Although it may be obvious, it is still important to not fertilize too late, because frozen plants and grasses cannot absorb it.
4. Mulching. Mulching is the process of covering the soil with a layer of material such as wood chips, rocks, pine needles, and grass clippings. This allows the soil to better retain moisture and prevent weed growth and soil erosion. Mulch applied in the fall also helps with insulation and soil health. Mulching in the fall is not always necessary, so it’s best to get a second opinion on when the right time of year is for your landscape. One of the main benefits of mulching in the fall is that it gets the ball rolling for spring. Once you cut back perennials and apply mulch, you can check those things off of your spring landscape to-do list.
5. Leaf Clean-Up. Generally, we recommend leaf clean-up in the fall. It’s more about the health of the lawn than the way it looks. Sometimes, throughout early fall, it helps to shred the leaves with lawnmowers so they are scattered evenly over the lawn. This provides nutrients to the grass while also letting in light and water. However, when it is just about to hit winter, you will want to prevent any leaf build-up including clumps or piles of leaves. Soggy leaves can create tree diseases and rotting piles of mush which encourages pests. So, cleaner lawns are best when it comes to preparing your landscape for winter.
6. Irrigation System Winterization. To avoid the headache of breaking your irrigation system, there are some best practices to follow when it comes to winterizing your irrigation system. The first is to turn off the water. Failing to turn off the water to your irrigation system before winter will likely cause burst pipes when the water expands as it freezes. It is also important to turn off the timer or set it to rain mode so it doesn’t start automatically. The last step is to drain the water. Draining the water is a different process for different systems. Some systems drain water automatically when the water is turned off, but others are manual. Know what system you are working with and remember to take care of your irrigation system before the cold hits.

If you are unsure about how to winterize the landscape for your commercial facility, we are here to help! Call our team today and “we’ll take care of it!”