5 Ways to Prepare Your Yard For Winter
Snow is coming in the northland and now’s the time to start preparing your property for the winter season! Heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures can take a toll on your yard, garden, and patio. So, you must take time this fall to prepare your property before winter’s here to stay!
Why you need to protect your property from winter months
There are a variety of things that can happen to your property when you don’t properly prepare it for the cold temperatures and heavy snowfall! Some of these things include:
- Cold temperatures killing small to large patches of lawn and other issues
- Snowfall bending your patio furniture and causing water and rust damage
- Gardens left susceptible to “winter scald, frozen roots, foliar damage, and even death”
- Evergreens, shrubs, and young trees affected by numerous issues
Therefore, having a thorough fall maintenance plan in place will help ensure that your property won’t suffer from damage due to the harsh winter months, and it will look even better when spring finally rolls around!
5 ways to prepare your property for winter
Before the snow starts sticking around, it’s essential to properly prepare your yard for heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures to avoid the issues listed above! Here are 5 of our best tips to help you protect your property:
1. Lay down mulch
Mulching is a great way to protect against the cold temperatures and wet conditions that come with (and after) heavy snowfall. There are a variety of beneficial ways that you can utilize mulch for protection including:
- Mulching leaves to protect your lawn
- Laying a 3 to 6-inch layer of mulch around the base of young trees, shrubs, and evergreens
- Laying a thick fresh layer of mulch or leaves over gardens and garden beds
Mulch acts as a blanket for whatever you lay it over. It can protect the roots from excessive frost and snow damage, prevent the dead spots that are common across lawns, and keep heavy rain from washing excess dirt away!
2. Spread fertilizer and compost
One great way to protect your lawn is to lay down fertilizer. Once your property has gone into dormancy, spreading slow-release fertilizer can help give your grass the nutrients it needs to survive throughout a long winter of dormancy.
Additionally, adding a 3 to 6-inch layer of compost to trees, shrubs, evergreens, and gardens will not only give them the nutrients they need throughout dormancy but will provide additional warmth to the soil, too (even better if topped with a thick layer of mulch)!
3. Dig up your tender garden bulbs
According to UMN, there are a variety of tender bulbs that you should be digging up from your garden in the fall. These include “amaryllis, canna, gladiolus, begonia, dahlia, Colocasia (elephant ears), [and] caladium.” Frost and cold temperatures can kill these perennials if you choose to leave them in the ground throughout winter. Instead, you should:
- Gently dig them up by loosening them from the soil with a garden spade or fork
- Cleaning them off by each bulbs preference (can be found in the article)
- Curing (drying) the bulbs for a few days at room temperature away from sunlight
- Label and store your bulbs in a dark, room-temperature space until they’re ready to plant again in the spring
Following these steps will ensure that you have a beautiful garden next season! You can also plant these bulbs in the fall for a beautiful spring bloom!
4. Wrap your evergreens, shrubs, and young trees
Taking the time to cover your evergreens, shrubs, and young trees will protect them from the harsh winter months. It can also protect them from damages like “burning,” browning, bleaching, root damage, bark damage, and death. By following the various tips listed in this University of Minnesota article, you can prepare and protect these plants from cold weather, harsh winds, and snow and ice damage!
5. Cover and store your patio furniture
Patio furniture is made to be outside. However, winter can be particularly hard on your patio as it comes with heavy snowfall and excess moisture. To maintain a beautiful outdoor living space, it’s important to ensure that it’s ready for the upcoming winter season! Steps you can take include:
- Cleaning and storing your patio furniture
- Putting breathable, mesh-vented covers over things like grills, umbrellas, and patio furniture you can’t store
- Apply a waterproof sealant to protect wooden decks and other structures
- Clean and cover your outdoor kitchen sink, unplug and clean outdoor appliances, shut the water off to outdoor sinks, and allow the excess water to drain
By taking these steps you can avoid water damage, mold damage, bending, warping, and rusting! Also, keep in mind that ice melt is extremely damaging to sidewalks, pavements, and other stone walkways and spaces. Consider these tips instead!
The takeaway
To have a beautiful lawn, garden, shrubs, and patio in the spring, it’s important to take the necessary steps before fall is over. We know that fall lawn maintenance can be a big task. That’s why we’re ready to help you prepare your outdoor living space for the long winter months!
Contact us to talk about how we can help you prepare your patio for the winter season!