Readying Your Lawn & Garden For Winter

Many people don’t put too much thought into getting their gardens and lawns ready for the winter. You may rake up the leaves after they’ve fallen, but are you giving your outdoor plant life the best shot at surviving our harsh winter?  Below, we will detail the things that you can do as a home/ business owner to have the best success at keeping your lawn and gardens healthy.

Winter definitely takes a toll on a lot of plant life that we have here in southern Greater Toronto Area. Although your lawn will become dormant as the temperature cools, there are steps you can take to make sure you’re giving it the best prospect over the winter.

1. Clean any debris from the lawn. This includes leaves, branches, children’s toys or other brush. Leaving things on top of grass can create the perfect environment for disease to arise.
2. Did you know that fall is the very best time to aerate your lawn? This is the time that your grass is healthy and growing well and there isn’t an abundance of weeds. Aerating your lawn will allow more air to circulate and nutrients access the roots more easily.
3. Fertilize! Grass loves the cooler temperatures of the fall and it absorbs a lot of nutrition at this time of year. Fertilizer is food for your grass and gives it the nutrients necessary to flourish. Just remember, fertilizer should be applied no less than two weeks before the ground freezes.

What about gardens? Is there anything that can be done to prepare them for the snow?

1. Firstly, if you have any annuals in your gardens, you’ll want to remove them for the season. This will leave the garden tidier and will make it easier to clean up the garden beds in the spring.
2. If there are any weeds visible, make sure you pull them now!
3. Trim back your hedges and bushes so they can be compact and fierce. They are less likely to have limbs broken when all loose branches are trimmed back.
4. If you don’t already have mulched gardens, this is a good time to apply a layer of mulch because it actually works to insulate the plants’ roots, giving them a better chance and surviving the cold.

And remember, here at Paramount, we know how busy life is and that you may not have enough hours in the day to do complete these steps. You can always give us a call or send us an email and we will help you get your property ready for winter!