Fall in Allentown, PA, is prime time to enjoy some quality family time in the yard as the temperatures turn cooler and the fallen leaves blanket the ground. Moreover, fall is an excellent time to do maintenance work in the yard to prepare it for the winter season ahead. From planting seeds and maintaining trees to checking hardscaping, your contractor can help ensure your yard is blooming to its full potential when summer comes around.
Taking Care of Plants
Preparing your yard for the tough winter ahead starts with taking care of your plants. A professional contractor will be able to take soil samples in order to check the pH value as well as nutrient content of the soil. Nutrients and treatments can then be added accordingly to optimize the soil for the tough winter months ahead. This is a necessary step to ensure your plants are well fed throughout the winter.
Related: Choosing Poolside Plantings in the Hamburg, PA Area
Winterize with Mulch
Mulching is an essential part of the winterization process. A contractor should be consulted to give your flowerbeds attention to ensure that mulch is properly turned and to ascertain whether or not additional mulch is required. With the proper tools, fallen leaves can also be recycled into mulch to be used around your yard. Mulching is essential to help protect the delicate roots from the harshness of snow and winter winds. Some contractors also suggest composting before the winter although this is specific to the types of plants, so professional advice is ideal in this case.
Preparing your Lawn for Winter
Next, you’ll have to turn your attention to your lawn. Removing weeds is an essential part of winterization in order to minimize competition for nutrients as much as possible during the winter months. Areas with sparse growth should be overseeded to make sure they bloom to their full potential once winter is over. Trimming the grasses is the final step to ensure each blade gets the maximum amount of scarce sunlight and to prevent the onset of diseases.
Related: Essential Landscape Maintenance for PA Homes
Trees and Shrubs
For trees and shrubs, preparation for heavy snow loads is essential. This means removing any frail branches as well as trimming trees, especially evergreens, to reduce their nutrient requirements. A final deep watering is essential after the leaves from trees have fallen and been cleared to keep them well supplied for the winter. A contractor with local knowledge can prove invaluable in this phase, identifying the exact requirements to winterize each type of plant as well as to prepare and execute the ideal watering schedule to follow during the winter. Moreover, they can provide suggestions for spacing and relocating plants in preparation for the summer months ahead in order to elevate your yard to its full springtime potential.
Hardscape and Irrigation System Preparations
Having protected your plants, consult with your contractor to give your hardscaping a good look over. Walkways and driveways in particular should be professionally inspected before snow and freezing water take their toll. Cracks in the asphalt or between pavers should be identified and filled. A sealant over the surface may be necessary as a preemptive measure to prevent moisture from penetrating cracks, freezing and stressing the material further.
Lastly, your irrigation system should be given a thorough check to ensure that it is properly dried out. Any water retained in the system could freeze and damage the pipes and nozzles leading to problems once winter is over.
