Winter Checklist for your Gainesville Landscape

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Rusty Thompson on November 27th, 2013

I know, I know. The last thing you want is another "to do" list. However, with the holiday season here so quickly, you don't want your landscape to look bad when more guests will be at your home than any other span of the year. 

1 - Apply your fall Gainesville lawn fertilization - You can read more about this in the next article, but it is single-handedly the most important time to feed your lawn.

2 - Bulb time. November is the best time to plant most spring-flowering bulbs. Mix in some lime and a balanced fertilizer, like 10-10-10 or a special bulb mixture (9-9-6), at planting time. (Ameryllis, Astilbes, Irises, Callas, Daylillies, and Daffodils)

3 - Leaves - Make sure you keep the leaves that are falling  from choking out your lawn. Mulching them is okay, but keep a watch on your level of thatch which can also weaken your lawn. As long as they don't lay on top of the Gainesville lawn for more than 14-21 days, you should be safe since it is going dormant, but the more sun the better.

4 - Mower - If you mow your own lawn, drain the fuel after the last cut of the season and run the motor dry. The ethanol in the fuel will cause you headaches when you try to start it back up in spring.  (Tired of this headache or need help with a fall cleanup? Click here.)

5 -  Delay pruning trees and shrubs heavily (Especially Crape Myrtles). Delay this task until late winter when spring is a couple weeks away, except for minor shaping and to remove dead and diseased wood.

6 - Watch for cool season pests. Watch for mites on junipers, conifers, azaleas, hollies and camellias. Infested leaves turn gray or brown and may fall prematurely. If you treat it quickly, you can save the plant. Home improvement stores usually sell pesticides for DIYers if you can diagnose the issue or call us and we can treat it for you with our Gainesville Lawn pest control program. 

 7 - November is a great month to begin planting roses, and many tropical plants are beginning to bloom. Choose healthy vegetable and herb plants now for a quick-start garden.

Call us at 378-5296 or click here and let us help your Gainesville landscape be the best in your neighborhood!