7 Things To Do To Your NJ Yard In Fall For A Healthy Landscape
Seasons are changing, and these are the months that count! As New Jersey grows colder in the coming months, homeowners need to take precautions to ensure the health of their yards. By doing the following 7 tasks this fall, you will give your landscape the best fighting chance to survive in winter and thrive in spring.
1. Rake Up The Leaves
One of the aspects of New Jersey that makes it such a beautiful place to live is the trees. Even the most tree-bare yard will likely experience the litter of the seasonal foliage. While it may look festive, the leaves should be continuously raked and removed. They block the light and trap moisture, both of which are damaging to the grass below. The less leaves on your lawn, the better chance you have for healthy grass in spring.
2. Remove The Dead
If you have any dead branches, plants or shrubs, get rid of them. This will help to keep your landscape neat and tidy, and the editing will help your living plants to thrive. But be careful! Know which landscape aspects are actually dead. You don’t want to rip up a perennial that will return next year.
3. Keep Cutting The Grass
Cutting the grass to the right length is important because the root depth grows in proportion to the overall length of the plant. If it grows too long, it won’t just look unkempt, but it will also likely grow fungi. Too short and the root system will be restricted. Healthy grass needs healthy, routine cuts, so keep up on it!
4. Get The Weeds OUT
The whole idea of a fall cleanup is to give your landscaping the best chance to survive winter and come back strong in spring. No matter how many times you rake the leaves, cut the grass or fertilize, if weeds are in your yard, they will thwart all of your efforts. The very nature of a weed is to take over and steal the nutrients of its surrounds vegetation, making weed control a necessity. You can rip them up or spray weed killer to make sure your landscaping is protected.
5. Seed Seed Seed!
Many people make the mistake of thinking that spring is the only time to reseed a lawn. Not so! The cooler weather that fall brings combined with the moist soil, makes a perfect setting for seeding. If done at the right time, the seeds will germinate and take root, bringing about a lush yard in spring. Plus, a lush, dense yard will actually help hinder the growth of weeds. Win-win!
6. Feed Your Yard
When winter comes around, plants have limited nutrients. Give your landscape a shock of sugars and vitamins to support your plants throughout these colder months with fertilizer. With the right sugar, the plants in your yard will have:
- Better root protection from freezing
- Nutrients to last through winter
- Energy to flourish in spring
Try to make sure that your fertilizer has potassium because it will:
- Encourage root growth
- Protect against disease
- Help your plants resist cold and live through drought
7. Drain The Water
Winterizing your sprinkler systems and hoses is important to prevent damage to your lawn and irrigation investments. Unless pipes and hoses are cleared of excess water, they could freeze and burst in the cold. For a hose, this would mean a trip to the hardware store, but for a sprinkler system you’d be looking at costly repairs. The system itself would have to be repaired, the lawn would suffer from too much water and it may even have to be ripped up at the damage site.
Then trust the experts at Hillsborough Irrigation to get the job done right.