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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 mulched before the first frost
- But
don’t over water! Plants and shrubs should be expected to look a little brown in September and October
- Mulch 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
- Cutting
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-ices 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 roots popping out of the ground. If they have, gently push them back into place, and add mulch
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