It’s that time of the year where leaves turn to rich gold, burgundy, and orange and the crisp morning air is clean and fresh… here are our lawn & garden fall preparation tips to get you ready!
Mulching
Did you know fall is great time to add mulch to your garden or flower beds?
- Fall mulch acts like spring mulch be keeping in the moisture, preventing weeds, and protecting the bare soil from erosion. Covered soil allows organisms to stay active longer during the cold season. This improves the integrity of the soil. Applying mulch in the fall also helps insulate and protect your plants. This can be especially helpful to new plantings by creating an ideal environment for root production and growth. Lastly, mulch adds a manicured look to your landscape.
- OUR RECOMMENDATION: We have a great selection of mulch options! Choose from Scotts Nature Scapes Mulch, Waupaca Small/Medium Bark, and Gardner & Bloome Soil Conditioner, all great products to apply in the fall. Also check out our bulk options, we suggest calling ahead to check stock availability.
Planting
Bulbs, trees and cool-season vegetables can be effectively planted in the fall.
- The cooler air and warm soil allows roots to grow easily before the ground freezes. Fall also can provide reliable rainfall making it an easy transition for your plants to get established.
- In our area, it’s best to get your fall planting in by the end of October (before the first hard frost).
- Bulbs will be in-stores soon! We typically get around 60 varieties to choose from like daffodils, tulips, and hyacinth. Bulbs are super easy to plant, it’s as simple as… DIG. DROP. DONE.
- OUR RECOMMENDATION: Check out more fall planting tips from Proven Winners: Why Plant in Fall?
Fertilizing
Apply fertilizer to your lawn a couple of weeks before the first ground freeze to replenish depleted soil of essential nutrients. Fall is the BEST TIME to fertilize grass.
- Lawns love a nitrogen and potassium blend fertilizer because it helps them recover from summer stresses like disease, drought, and heat. This can also help cool-season grasses resist winter disease and injury due to harsh winter weather.
- OUR RECOMMENDATION: We suggest using Bonide’s 4-Phase Lawn Care System to help keep your yard healthy and green year-round. Bonide Phase 3 (Insect & Feed) Apply July – September to weed and feed all-in-one & Bonide Phase 4 (Winterizer) Apply October – December to promote quicker spring green-up.
We hope you’ve enjoyed these lawn & garden fall preparation tips, be sure to check out more household preparations for fall here: Fall Prep
