It’s that time of year again! Time to prepare for another cold and snowy New England winter.
Before winter hits, there are a few things you should do to prepare your property. By taking care of your leaves, cutting your lawn, and watering your plants, your property will be strong enough to survive the cold winter and be healthy to start growing again in the spring!
Commercial & Residential Property Care Tips:
Get Rid of Leaves
Although the colorful leaves are pretty on your lawn and fun to play in, they aren’t beneficial for your grass. Why? Well, when leaves cover your yard, they don’t let natural light in. They also trap any moisture that your lawn needs during these last few months before winter hits. To help your lawn out, rake or blow away the leaves as often as you can. It’s easier to keep up with gradually as the leaves fall rather than waiting until all the trees are bare and you’re stuck with a covered lawn. Be sure to check in places the wind might have carried the leaves around your yard, as this is where leaves pile up and make grass soggy and dead in the spring.
Keep Cutting Your Lawn
Since summer is over here in Seacoast NH and southern Maine, it’s easy to think that lawn mowing is now off the list of landscaping responsibilities. The truth is, you aren’t done mowing your lawn until the first hard frost. Make sure you’re regularly cutting your lawn to keep it at a 2½ to 3-inch height. If you don’t cut your grass before the first hard frost and let it get long, it will mat and let fungi grow. Typically, long grass before the first frost attracts snow mold, which shows up after the snow melts in the spring. On the other hand, if you cut your grass too short it can curtail the root system and decrease the ability for the lawn to survive through dry and cold weather. Plus, mowing as often in the fall as you would in the summer might help chop up the leaves and add organic matter to the soil.
Keep On Watering your Lawn!
Another important tip as the weather starts to change is to keep watering your lawn. Your lawn still needs water, despite the fact that there is more rain, more dew, and less evaporation in the air during this time of year – it still isn’t enough to keep your lawn properly hydrated. To ensure your lawn is getting the right amount of water, keep track of rainfall (we recommend a rain gauge) and be sure your lawn gets at least an inch of water a week. By the end of October, don’t forget to disconnect your irrigation systems and hoses so your pipes don’t freeze!
Getting rid of leaves, cutting your lawn, and watering your property can be time consuming and hard to keep up with. If you aren’t sure where to start on landscape property care for cold weather, or are interested in our snow removal services, reach out to our team at Piscataqua Landscaping or call us at 207.439.2241.