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 overwater! 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-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 roots popping out of the ground. If they have, gently push them back into place, and add mulch.
