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Seasonal Tips
Spring
- Spread granular, slow-acting fertilizer. (This is optional if you fertilized in the fall or winter)
- Aerate the lawn to treat compacted soil
- Mulch with organic matter, if necessary
- Sharpen your mower blades at the start of the season
Summer
- Learn the signs of bug infestation, and head them off before they get settled in
- Water your lawn weekly if rain is scarce or your soil is
poor. Otherwise, water only when rainfall is delayed more than 10
days
- Treat weeds and bare spots as soon as you see them
- Sharpen your mower blade again halfway through the season
Autumn
- Water trees and shrubs thoroughly before the first frost
- Mulch plants with a layer of organic matter
- But don’t overwater! Plants and shrubs should be expected to look a little brown in September and October
- Mulch lawn with organic material, or mow a layer of fallen leaves into the lawn
- Fertilize your lawn around Thanksgiving to promote strong root growth during winter
- Cut the grass a bit shorter just before winter to prevent its matting under snow
Winter
- Put burlap windscreens around less hardy plants if they’re in exposed areas
- Use a broom to brush snow away from evergreen trees gently, to keep the weight from breaking the limbs
- If ice or snow does break tree limbs, have the limbs removed as soon as weather permits – damaged trees are prone to disease
- Putting markers at the edge of your lawn will help you avoid damaging it when you’re shoveling snow
- Avoid walking on frosted or snow-covered lawns
- Use only non-salt de-icers for sidewalks and driveways, so the runoff doesn’t harm plants
- Salt will damage grass, perennials, and shrubs, and will keep the plants from absorbing much-needed water
- Check any perennial plants during periods of thawing soil to see
if the roots are popping out of the ground. If they are, gently push
them back into place, and add mulch
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