The end of October is really interesting. This past week in New England, I have received quite a bit of rain, wind, and a definite feeling of change in our weather. It truly feels like fall weather. My days of walking through my yard is coming to an end. Over the summer, I would walk through my yard, pull weeds, care for my lawn, pull brush and clear out areas so I can keep up the maintenance on my landscape. However, I must admit that my wife is far for diligent about RIPPING out the weeds and brush that are not helpful for our yard.
Turns out that New Hampshire and Massachusetts have particular laws about the types of shrubs you can plant into your yard. Quite a few plant varieties for New Hampshire prohibited or even Massachusetts prohibited plants exist in our area. Since finding out about these plants she has worked quite hard in removing them as we work our curb appeal back. Since finding out what we do have, we are working through our own plans to remove the plants and things from the yard we do not need for this upcoming winter.
The fall is the best time to work through and remove plenty of shrubbery, leaves falling off trees, dead branches falling from the trees. It all comes down heavily in our deciduous area, and we have plenty of strategies in dealing with these items. I have a couple of things to go through as we find out the best way to make sure our yard is lush in springtime for new plants and growth.
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Culling plants in the fall transition? Think about which ones you rip out first
This is the best time to cull your spring and summer growth plants. Since they are dormant, we can pick and choose the plants that need a transplant and work with your designer needs. Some brush will do better in other areas that will face a different sunlight, make it easier to mow, or pulling off that rich curb appeal look you intend on cultivating. For our home, we like more minimalistic design with low-care plants. This is what WE like, but that doesn’t mean it will fit in with your home-look.
If you have not done it already, attempt to make a yard blue-print for your landscape and begin the preparation now. If you are in warmer climates than I am, this time of year really is optimal to get the look you intend to have next year. Make sure you have a good pH balance, you know what your ground is capable of growing, and have a good year-round look. This also means laying down any lime to bring the yard to balance (and add calcium!).
For your current plants, transplant them while they are dormant, because they do not feel as much stress to their current health. However, it is still hard on the plant to move and you neglect care! The dirt needs plenty of water and needs a constant stream so it still stays healthy during the move. You are ensuring that no air pockets exist around the root system. As I mentioned that even with our heavy rain, we still have our water ready to make sure they survive.
Laying grass seed is a good idea to produce for next years growth
Late summer and fall are the times to lay down new grass seed. In order for these seeds to germinate and take root, they need to go through a cold-snap, or a winter in order to take root and grow grass. On top of that, too much sun or heat will actually ruin the seed, making it difficult to root in well with the ground. Especially if your location needs a cool-season grass or any warmer climate, you allow your seed to do what it needs to do without drought-like conditions. Check out this article about seeding late in the fall, so you can increase the survival rate and your investment.
Sick of your leaves?
One thing I love about town recycling is that the best ones will have a way to collect brush, leaves, and branches. The BEST towns will have a way to mulch these things and convert them over to a clean fill. When I lived in New Jersey, my town was able to wrap their leaves and tree branches and let the mulching process begin for almost two years! The best part, is that spring and summer allowed our local home-owners take their share of mulch without much cost! I think this idea is valuable to many of our home-owners as we shared our local resources.
For what it’s worth, I do not have enough space in my yard to do a large-scale mulching project. Sharing with our neighbors and town is a great way to recycle our natural resources and allow for natural growth.
Get ready for snow!
If you have the joys of cold precipitation laying on your ground, you are in luck! With young children, they love to throw these fluff balls at each other in order to assert dominance. However, your young plants often buckle under the pressure (all puns intended!). I have seen some home-owners create a roof, or a cover over their young evergreen bushes and trees at this point. These young trees shape to the stress placed on them and will change the growth pattern if they are under too much snow. Other plants can go under this kind of pressures and will change the look on your cultivation.
Also, to really prepare for snow, make sure you have enough salt, shovels, brooms, and car brushes now. I cannot stress how important it is that you stock up BEFORE the season on these items before you need it. Quite often stores will sell out of salt very quickly, and they will take much longer if you are dealing with enough supply in your area. If you have salt or a heat-melt from last year, double-check it and make sure they are in small pieces. For your snow shovels, make sure they are accessible. If you want to walk out to your shed, through two-feet of snow, to get your snowblower, you already placed yourself in too much trouble to remove it early enough.
In Conclusion
I really like fall and the change in weather in leaves. I have been through enough season to know the importance of make your home accessible, easier to maintain throughout the winter and into the spring. If you are like me, you will have enough tricks to make sure you have handled these situations before. What do you do to prepare for the season? Do you stock up now, or only when you need it? Don’t forget to comment on your best tips, and share with other people that need to know how to best prepare.
