Winterize your Lawn

We all think about winterizing our homes or our vehicles, but did you realize that your lawn and garden need winterizing, too? Check out our quick guide to prepping your lawn and garden for winter and a new growing season in the spring.

Raking leaves keeps your lawn growing

Did you know that leaving leaves on your yard over the winter can actually kill the grass underneath? The layer of dead leaves creates a barrier to sun, cutting off vital nutrients before they can make it to your grass. Hate raking? Try a leaf blower or a mulching attachment on your lawn mower instead. Once all the leaves are out of the way, it would be a great time to do some scarifying (or raking) to remove some of the thatch or aerate the soil. Aerating can be done with manual tools or with an attachment for your lawn mower, and helps your lawn get the nutrients needed deep in the soil.

Overseeding grass

You should have already done a “bridge feeding,” fertilizing your lawn in the late summer to help it bounce back from a long summer of heat and dryness. Overseeding your lawn in the late fall is a great way to take the next step towards a healthy, happy and gorgeous lawn in the spring.

Trouble on the horizon?

While cleaning up your lawn for the fall, you may notice some unsightly fungal problems such as red thread, fairy rings, or patchiness. If the summer and early fall have been particularly wet you might see a variety of fungal diseases or pests including slime mold and lawn lichens. Autumn is a good time to repair this damage before it can take a deep hold and ruin all your hard work.

Winterizing your annual beds or gardens

Gardens in Ottawa require special care to be sure they’re ready to produce beautiful blooms and veggies early in the year. Tilling your garden can be a great way to turn up fresh soil while aerating it and softening the soil overall. Checking the pH level of the soil and adding lime now gives the mineral time to work in the soil before spring. Mulching can also help flower beds such as rose beds stay toasty warm throughout a cold winter.

Don’t have time or energy for some or all of this outdoorsy-ness? Consider hiring a lawn care or landscaping service in Ottawa like Hansen to take the pressure off some of the more labour-intensive tasks like edging and the technical aspects lawn care. Let us do the heavy lifting, so you can spend time doing the fun and rewarding parts of gardening.