Gardening Maintenance You Need to Do This Fall

 

There isn’t much more iconic than a suburban area in the fall, with the orange and brown colors dominating the natural landscapes and fallen leaves scattered on lawns and roads all around us. It might be a gorgeous thing to look at, but it does require some specific garden maintenance steps that you should take care of during the lead up to, and during, the colder months of fall and into winter.

Keep the Leaves in Check

The amazing colors and fluttering leaves of fall come with a task that every homeowner is familiar with, and that’s raking up hundreds and hundreds of leaves. A big part of fall maintenance is keeping these leaves raked up and off your grass. That’s because fallen leaves can make short work of healthy turf grass. If you don’t have a major leaf problem in your yard, simply mowing over them can create smaller pieces that, when they decompose, will add nutrients to the soil underneath your lawn. If maintaining the lawn is something you don’t want to do, then artificial turf installation in San Diego might be a good option for your yard.

Get Rid of Weeds and Tidy Up Beds

Now is an even more important time to deal with the weeds which will flourish in the moist conditions that come along with the fall weather. Pull out any dandelions, clovers and any other broadleaf weeds that find their way into the ground in your yards. While you’re at it, remove all the plant and other debris from your garden beds and throw down a good quality compost to encourage healthy plant growth. Sowing some cover crops into these beds isn’t the worst idea either because they’ll help prevent soil erosion during the wet winter.

Cut Back Existing Plants and Plant New Perennials

Your perennial plants and flowers are the real heroes of any garden and maintaining them properly, particularly in the fall, is crucial for their long-term health. This means cutting them back when they start to turn brown by removing any dead growth to help them start up with a bang again after the winter. It’s also a good time to plant new perennial bulbs which do best when started in September and October.

Get Summer Plants Safely Indoors

Over-wintering your delicate summer plants means keeping them warm and getting them as much light as possible. Usually moving them into the garage or onto a sunny windowsill inside is a good way of doing this. You could also protect them with a good layer of mulch or cover them with a material shield to keep the frost away from them.

A well-maintained fall garden can promote a wonderful, green and colorful summer one, complete with blooming perennials and summer flowers that you can waste away warm afternoons in just enjoying the sun, the chirping of birds and the sweet smells. Put the work in now while the weather is cooler, and you’ll benefit when the clouds finally part after the winter!


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