Seasonal Landscape Maintenance in Baton Rouge

Many things change besides our clocks as the season's turn. Sure that extra hour of sunlight or an extra hour of sleep has its pros and cons, but the way our routines change is nothing compared to what goes on in our yards. While adjustments need to be made from season to season, no matter how short some may seem to be in south Louisiana, taking care of your lawn and landscaping when fall and winter approach is crucial for the health and vibrance of your flowerbeds, hedges, and grass. Here are a few things you should know about Fall seasonal landscape maintenance.

Overseed Your Lawn

Whether you have a new lawn or attempting to treat bare spots in your yard, overseeding during the autumn months can reap many benefits when spring comes back around. It is helpful in controlling erosion in bare spots or on slopes as well as helping to maintain a green look to your lawn when it normally would be brown. If the right type of Rye Grass is utilized, it will reduce the mowing frequency needed to keep it looking well maintained through the winter months. 

Fertilize the Grass

Fertilizing your lawn during the fall months can nourish your grass through the drier, colder months of the year. Not only does this support and promote root growth, but it protects your lawn’s soil and promotes quicker green-up as the season's change near the springtime. This can be combined with a preemergent weed control to help better suppress wintertime weeds in the lawn. 

Be Sure to Rake or Mulch Leaves

As leaves fall from the trees, they can block sunlight and deprive your lawn and other plants of the water and nutrients they need. Keeping the leaves mulched by way of your mower will help to recycle nutrients back into the soil and helps to add organic nutrients for the grass to utilize during the growing seasons. With accumulating leaves, it's essential to rake, blow, or mulch leaves from/into the lawn for your yard to be a step ahead as the weather changes. 

Planting New Plants & Color

Fall is one of the best times to plant new plants or annual color (winter hardy varieties) as the plants are going into a more dormant state of growth. This means less time needed watering all your plantings and less stress on the plants from the heat of the summer. Plants are going to be in their lowest energy consumption state from late fall through winter which allows the plants to focus on the most important part of new plantings, growing roots. Rooting out through the winter months allows the plants to acclimate to the soil conditions around them and be well rooted to handle the intense heat of the summer to follow. 

Mulch Your Flowerbeds

Autumn is a great time to freshen up your flowerbeds by dividing and replanting overcrowded perennials and refreshing your mulch. After a long, wet south Louisiana summer, new mulch can help to insulate the shrubbery, flowers, and other plants around your home. In addition to providing warmth that will pay dividends come spring, your beds will also have a rejuvenated look.

Hydrangeas and Other Perennials

One key important thing to remember, although tempting, don’t trim your perennials until late winter or early spring. People often think because perennials such as Hydrangeas or Lantana drop their leaves they need to be pruned back right away. Doing this early in the fall usually leads to severe damage to the root crown and potentially the death of the plant. Waiting until early March to early April will allow the plant to bud out much further up the branches than you might realize and lead to a fuller plant much sooner in the growing season. Fun fact, Hydrangeas bloom off last year’s growth (unless it’s a newer hybrid variety) so pruning off the branches early may cause your Hydrangea to not bloom at all.

These are only a few ideas for taking care of your lawn and landscaping as the seasons change. Entrusting an experienced, expert landscaping specialist can make these tasks even more comfortable. Kyle's Lawn and Landscape has been keeping the green spaces of Baton Rouge vibrant and healthy for over 12 years.