Your front yard creates your home’s first impression, adding to its curb appeal (and value) whether you’re selling it or not. Around the holidays, curb appeal becomes even more important, and while this year might look slightly different in terms of Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas parties, you have more time at home to tend to your garden and lawn.
Not sure what fall landscape tips apply to your specific lawn or even how to go about understanding irrigation in the colder months? Thankfully, there’s not too much that changes from summer to fall in most areas of the country. However, the key is understanding how to prepare for the transition to winter. Here’s what to know.
Fall Landscape Tips for Homeowners
Any good fall landscape checklist should include a few things, and one of the first is to always clear leaves from your lawn. This is extremely important in preserving the root structure of your grass as the weather gets colder. It’ll allow sunlight to reach the roots and won’t create pools of muggy, damp leaves that drown the grass and prevent it from thriving until spring.
If you have a traditional lawnmower, experts suggest mulch mowing, which consists of mowing over the fallen leaves instead of raking them away. The lawnmower will mulch the leaves and you’ll leave them in place as a mulch cover for your grass. Love the way piled-high golden leaves look on your lawn? Grab some gloves, a few trash bags, and rake away. Just be sure to get rid of them once you’re done playing in the leaves.
Interested in the mulching route but don’t have many fall leaves to create a thin layer of mulch on your lawn? Add different mulch; it’s great for fall landscaping. All you need is a two to three-inch layer of mulch to insulate the roots of your grass and surrounding plants. It helps conserve moisture and can add nutrients to your lawn.
Preparing Your Lawn for Winter Weather
As mentioned, the biggest battle in fall lawn care is preparing it for winter weather. You’ll need to take advantage of cooler weather to tend to your lawn before the first frost in order to ensure it has what it needs to survive until the spring.
If you live in an area that receives a lot of snow in the winter, you’ll need to leave your grass cut fairly short; around one to two inches should be fine. If you don’t get snow, you’re able to let it grow to about three inches. Letting it grow too long means that when winter weather comes, it can get matted under the sleet and snow.
As part of your fall lawn care prep, take advantage of cooler weather to spend some time outdoors pruning your plants. Depending on the types of plants that you have, they might actually respond better to winter pruning. If that’s the case, take time to clean your tools, including handsaws, cutting tools, and pruners, and ensure they’re ready to go once winter hits. And, as winter rolls in, be sure you’re winterizing your pipes and repairing them with solvent cement to avoid bursting or damage.
What to Know About Residential Irrigation & Water Conservation
A home irrigation system can improve your landscape tremendously while also reducing maintenance and saving water. Improved water efficiency not only benefits you but also benefits your neighborhood and the larger community around you. However, there are often regulations regarding irrigation system installation in residential areas.
Fall is actually one of the best times to install an irrigation system in a home as irrigation companies are less busy, the weather’s cooler, and the ground temperature makes it ideal for digging. Utilizing the services of an irrigation contractor can help you make sense of an installation like this as you’ll have to factor in technical aspects of the install such as piping, design, valves, and water pressure.
Help with Landscaping Year-Round
Whether you’re unsure of just how much water you’re allowed to use when watering your lawn, need to install an irrigation system, or simply need help managing a larger plot of land with lots of trees and plants, professional irrigation companies are able to take care of it all for you.
Understanding fall landscape tips and tricks are only the beginning of the battle. Each season brings its own set of perks and challenges, and understanding how to adapt to each of those makes life as a homeowner much easier. Get in touch today to learn more about landscaping and irrigation services this fall and beyond.
About Weld-On
Weld-On Adhesives, Inc., a subsidiary of IPS Corporation, is the pioneer and leading manufacturer of Weld-On® solvent cements, primers and cleaners for PVC, CPVC, ABS and other plastic piping systems. Weld-On products are globally recognized as the premium products for joining plastic pipes and fittings. Headquartered in California, Weld-On has state-of-the-art operations throughout the United States, as well as China, and a worldwide network of sales representatives and distributors.