With just little over a month of summer left we find ourselves looking towards fall cleanup. The season is upon us to wrap up and hibernate for winter. Our community in the Kankakee County area and surrounding counties was hit with a vicious storm causing fallen trees and power outages just a few weeks ago. So being prepared is a good thing and due to the storm one might have a bigger process than usual. So lets get started on what you might need to do.
1. Clean out debris Fallen leaves and weeds are the perfect place for pests to settle in for the winter. Clear out flower beds to keep the critters at bay. Pay special attention to rose beds, as their foliage can foster disease over the winter. 2. Trim rogue branches Trim up dead, damaged, or diseased branches you didn’t get to in the summer. Prune out-of-place tree branches that may cause trouble during the winter. You don’t want any branches breaking and falling during the snowfall to come. 3. Clean out the gutters Not all fall cleanup is in the yard. This is the perfect time to clear leaves and other debris from rain gutters. Check for proper drainage, clear out any blockages with a small garden trowel, and rinse with a hose. 4. Dry everything out Drain all water from hoses, fountains, and drip irrigation systems, and store them in a dry place. Water left standing over the winter may damage your equipment. 5. Feed the lawn Send your yard into winter with the nutrients it needs to survive the long, cold sleep. Add a fall lawn fertilizer with high phosphorous content to encourage root growth and enjoy a lush, green lawn come spring. 6. Rake and mulch Don’t let fallen leaves get the best of you; if left unattended they can suffocate the grass. Rake them up, shred them, and use them as mulch for young trees, shrubs, and flower beds. You might even be able to skip the raking part if you use a lawn mower to mulch the leaves in your yard. 7. Prune trees and shrubs Trim any dead branches and cut back overgrown trees and bushes. If you have spring-blooming perennials like lilac or forsythia, now is the time to prune without risking blooms. 8. Give it one last mow Set your mower to a low setting and give the lawn a close buzz before winter sets in. This helps the soil dry out more quickly in the spring, which leads to a lusher lawn. 9. Plant bulbs, shrubs, and fall annuals Some plants do best when planted in the fall. If you want to add new shrubs or spring bulbs like hyacinth, now is the time to get them in the ground. Fall annuals like pansies are also a great addition to keep some color in your yard as other plants go to sleep. 10. Clean tools and store them Don’t throw your gardening tools in the shed and forget about them until spring. Take time to give them a good cleaning and add a light coat of oil to prevent rust during the cold season.
If you follow this checklist you’re bound to have a wonderfully winterized yard that will be ready to wow you with lush, green bounty once the warm weather returns.
The next blogs will be covering the tools best suited that Power Solutions Plus carries to help make this process easy as pie.
