Fall Garden & Lawn Maintenance Tips for Southern Homeowners
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It’s fall, ya’ll! That means it’s time to freshen up your yard and garden and get it ready for the winter season. Transitioning from summer to fall doesn’t have to be daunting. Just follow these simple tips.
Just because the leaves are turning colors, you shouldn’t neglect your yard and garden. In fact, that’s the perfect time to finish the gardening season strong with a few outdoor chores and simple solutions to keep your yard looking great and healthy.
With just a few simple tasks each day, you will be ready for winter and can feel good about what may bloom in the spring.
Tips to Get Your Lawn Ready for Winter
With cooler weather, it’s a good time to give your lawn some TLC and encourage new growth. It’s also a good time to help your grass recover from excessive summer use. Here are a few ways to help your yard stay healthy during the winter months.
- Clean up fallen leaves. Grab a rake and remove any thick layers of leaves, or you can mow over them to create your own natural mulch that will add nutrients to the soil.
- Seed or lay sod. When cool temperatures and late fall rains begin to fall, you can establish new lawns easily.
- Aerate your lawn. High-traffic areas need annual aeration to loosen all the compacted soil. But if you aren’t on your lawn that much, every 2-3 years is fine for aeration.
- Manage weeds. When the temperatures cool, that’s when the weeds begin to multiply. Take some time to maintain them so they don’t get out of control.
- Raise your mower blade. A tall lawn encourages more root growth, which helps your grass stand a better chance of surviving the winter.
Tips to Get Your Garden Ready for Winter
Many homeowners focus on spring and summer for their gardens, but fall is also a prime time to take care of your garden. Fall is often the ideal time to plant, fertilize and keep a garden going or to get a head start for next season.
Here are some tips to make the most of the fall gardening season.
- Remove weeds. If you don’t want to be overrun with weeds in the spring, clear away as many as possible in the fall.
- Add mulch. After the ground freezes, add a 4- to 5-inch-thick layer of bark mulch over the crown of perennials planted this growing year and those that are frost-tender in your area.
- Plant spring-blooming bulbs. Late September and October is the best time to plant tulips, daffodils, and many other spring-blooming bulbs.
- Dispose of diseased or pest-ridden plants. If you want to reduce problems next year, fall is a great time to remove any leaves, stems, and whole plants with diseases or bugs.
- Water once a week in dry weather. Perennials are dormant in fall, but their roots are still actively growing until the ground freezes. Well-hydrated plants will withstand the winter stresses better.
- Plant fall annuals. Pansies and violas love the cooler weather and add a great pop of fall color.
- Maximize Sunlight. With dwindling hours of sunlight in the fall, it’s a good idea to position your fall planting strategically.
- Sow seeds. If you plant a vegetable garden, remember that lettuce, spinach, radishes, and arugula are tolerant of cooler temperatures.
- Bring sensitive plants indoors. In Alabama, we don’t have to worry too much about freezing temperatures, but when freezing weather threatens don’t forget to take care of those plants that can’t take the colder temps.
- Plant trees and shrubs. Fall is the ideal time to plant most trees and shrubs.
- Propagate plants. When temperatures begin to cool, take cuttings from perennials and gather seed pods from azaleas and rhododendrons.
- Don’t forget to water. Roots can still be growing in the fall and winter months, so continue to hydrate your garden plants, trees, and flowers. You can gradually reduce the watering duration and the plants go dormant.
- Remove non-producing annuals. Clean up your garden and save some water by removing non-blooming annuals.
Tips for Organizing and Planning for the Next Gardening Season
For those who continuously care about their lawns and gardens, here are some tips to help you prepare in the fall for big rewards in the spring.
- Clean and sharpen gardening tools. Your tools get a lot of use in the summer so they probably need a good cleaning and sharpening. It’s possible they need to be replaced. Oil your wooden handles. Remove rust. Check your larger tools for damage and safety concerns.
- Shop for end-of-summer sales. There is a good chance you can find some sales and clearance deals on gardening tools and supplies in the fall.
- Prepare your soil. Add nutrients back into the soil of your garden and raised beds. Fall is also a good time to add a layer of mulch around perennials to help them survive the winter.
- Organize your garden shed. It’s easy to get disorganized during a busy summer gardening season. Organize now to make your life easier in the spring.
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