Savvy Fall Landscaping To Do List – Part Two
When you own a home there’s a whole list of fall home landscaping maintenance tasks you have to keep up with. That being the case here’s an enhanced list of more fall home landscaping tasks to complete before fall turns into winter.
Trim Dead Limbs
Already dead branches can easily fall with increasing winter snow and winds, which can cause damage to your property or even possibly injury to your family and guests. It is always advised for more involved projects, that you consult a professional. For smaller, ornamental trees, you can prevent excessive damage by getting rid of cracked, diseased, and loose limbs. You should cut these close to, but never flush with, the trunk. You should also leave the wounds exposed so they can heal.
Lifeless branches can succumb to winter snow and winds, endangering you and your home. “For big jobs, call in the pros,” says Roger. But you can protect small ornamental trees from further damage by cutting cracked, loose, and diseased limbs close to (but not flush with) the trunk; leave the wounds exposed to heal.
Cut Back Perennials
Healthy spring beds come from a little work now before the soil is ready to rest for winter. Getting rid of tired annuals will also evict the slugs and snails that feed on them. They breed in fall so doing so earlier in the season will require less work. Trimming spent perennial foliage to the ground sends energy to the roots for next season. If you would like your garden to expand, every three years it is suggested that you divide crowded tuberous plants. More space means for flowers for these plants, like daylilies and irises.
Mulch Young Plants
New beds need a layer of mulch (chopped leaves, wood chips, or weed-free straw) after a light frost, but before the ground freezes. The decomposed layers of organic mulch should be tilled into the soil, then you should add a fresh 2” to 4” layer of mulch to keep your new plantings warm as well as help control water runoff and possible soil erosion. Be careful not to lay out too thick of a layer, or it will smother the roots underneath.
Dry Out Drip Systems
If you leave standing water in your irrigation tubing, it may freeze and cause your cracks along your system. A simple solution starts with disconnecting from the water source. Unscrew the tap-joint adapter, and insert and air hose where the system usually attached to the tap. Use a high-volume, low-pressure setting on a compressor and blow out the excess water to avoid having to uproot the whole system in spring to assess any damage.
By using these tips as a guide and then following through with action, your landscaping will look and love you for it at the same time. So, don’t waste time. Get cracking on these tips so your landscaping looks amazing come spring 2020.