Well, it’s that time of year again where the activities migrate from the outdoors to the indoors. We start to plan for decorating the interior of our homes for the holidays and most importantly forget to plan for a healthy and vigorous landscape for the spring. If you’re planning on selling your home when the real estate frenzy heats up in the spring preparing now for a beautiful spring yard will jump start your curb appeal and make the neighbors envious. It is a known fact that buyers will first chose to view a home when the curb appeal stands out from the others. Here is a list of 3 easy steps to do know that will certainly be rewarding when the season changes and buyers start to deciding which home they want to view first.

1. LEAVES ARE DESTRUCTIVE – BAG THEM!

The fall season can create the most devastating harm to your landscape if you neglect the obvious, leaves. When leaves are left on the lawn they create a vapor barrier that will not allow the lawn to breathe, which is a vital part of the rejuvenation process come spring. Raking the leaves throughout the fall actually helps stimulate the roots of the grass which become the kick start in the spring for a healthy lawn. Rake your leaves and your lawn will be happier than you would ever imagine.

         

2. PRUNE

Pruning one last time for the winter will prepare the natural life cycle of the plants to come out of dormancy with vigorous, healthy and controlled growth when the weather warms. Cutting back perennials to their crown, the area where the previous year’s growth started, will boost the plants productivity for the next growing season. Same goes for shrubbery that you want to control for size, shape and health. A good rule of thumb when pruning shrubbery is to be selective, take your time and understand how the plant grows. Take note, one method of pruning doesn’t fit all types of plants. For instance a hedge can be pruned mechanically with uniformity and without much thought but a rhododendron will need to be pruned by being selective when determining what the objective is and by cutting one branch at a time, this is how most plants thrive the most. Give them a little special attention and they will reward you throughout the year.

           

3. FERTILIZE

This simple step is most often looked over but provides the best results. After your lawn is free from debris such as leaves, branches, conifer needles and all the outdoor activity and abuse from the outdoor season it is time to give it the nourishment  it needs. Adding a winter fertilizer to your lawn will make the neighbors jealous come spring. Just like humans, plants, including lawns, are a living organism that gathers health through nutrition. When you winterize your lawn use a fertilizer that has a lower nitrogen level then you would in the spring. Remember we are looking for root growth not top growth. When buying fertilizer look at the three numbers listed on the bag, these are known as the N-P-K, Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium. The best fertilizer to use for your last feeding before spring would be a well balanced ratio of 3-1-2. This will feed your roots and boost your growth once the temperature heats in the spring.

Investing your time with putting your landscape to bed in the fall will bring amazing rewards come spring. Your landscape will be happy, you will be the envy of the neighborhood, and when the real estate market heats up in the spring, your home will be on the top of the list for best curb appeal. When your outside looks beautiful and well kept it entices the buyers to explore the inside as they feel that is something that needs to be looked at too.

Author: D. Pehlke