Tips to maintain your Garden in Winters

With winter approaching, many homeowners are wondering what they can do to help prepare their garden landscaping in Westchester County for freezing temperatures. If this sounds like you, then keep reading to learn a few things you should know about winter garden maintenance.

Leaves Can Lead to Trouble

When handled properly, leaf litter on your lawn can be turned into a natural compost for your grass. However, in some situations, a layer of leaves can starve your lawn of oxygen and sunlight and promote fungal disease. If your lawn is covered with a layer of leaves, then consider using your lawn mower to mulch them into pieces that are just an inch or so in size. Taking this step can help the leaves decompose more quickly, provide your grass with nutrients, and prevent your lawn from being smothered.

Ground Freeze Means Stop Watering

After spending the spring and summer making sure that your landscaping gets enough moisture, it may be difficult to get out of the habit of irrigating your landscape design. While in many cases you should continue watering your garden in the fall, you should stop doing so once the ground becomes frozen.

You Can Fertilize Now for a Better Spring

If you have cool season grass in your landscape design, then late fall or early winter can be the ideal time of year to fertilize your lawn. By feeding your grass now and before the ground freezes, you can help the grass recover from the stresses of summer and prepare for a healthy spring.

Early Mulching Can Attract Pests

If you’re getting ready to lay down branches and other mulching materials around your trees and plants to help protect them from winter die back, then keep in mind that taking this step too early may cause more harm than good. Piles of debris like hay and branches offer mice and other critters an ideal place to shelter from the weather. For this reason, it may be best to wait until the temperatures are a bit colder and the ground starts to harden before mulching your garden.

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