Getting Your Lawn Ready for the Winter

October is the perfect time to start preparing your lawn for winter. For those who live in colder climates, this step is crucial to insuring that you have a healthy, green lawn in the spring. It may seem like a lot to do, but it will be worth it when spring comes and you can reap the rewards of your hard work.

Keep leaves raked up -- Leaves will fall clear up through November, and though it is tiring to keep up on them, it is the best thing you can do for your lawn. Leaves that end up buried underneath the snow on the grass will cause unsightly mold and brown spots on your lawn. It also smothers your grass making it weaker, and can create a home for unwanted pests and rodents. A great tip is to mow your leaves up with your lawnmower. You will need to do one last mowing of your grass before the ground freezes anyway, why not pick up the leaves with your lawnmower? Even better, if you have a mulcher, you can use the leaves to create a wonderful, nutrient-rich fertilizer for your flower beds!

Mow the lawn -- As mentioned before, make sure the lawn gets one last great cut, setting the blades at a lower height. Keeping the lawn short in the winter will also prevent fungus from growing as it is known to do in longer grass blades.

Apply winter fertilizer to your lawn -- Your local nursery will have the best suggestion for the appropriate fertilizer for your climate.

Water your lawn -- Your lawn and garden beds are going to need water up until the time the ground freezes. When that happens, be sure to unhook any hoses for winter storage. If you have an automatic sprinkler system, a good rule of thumb is to turn the water off after the first real snow of the winter season to prevent the bursting of pipes.

Weed your garden beds -- You don't want to leave the weeds behind. Come spring, the seeds will be there to be planted and cause more weeds. Make sure you put your weeds into the garbage can, as putting them onto the ground will surely leave seeds behind.

Prune your flower beds -- Cut plants down to about four inches in height. This step is not high on the priority list. In fact, many gardeners like to leave them as is to create food for the birds. But if you do prune your plants, and if you are creating your own mulch, adding these clippings to the leaves and lawn clippings is a great thing to do.

Plant spring-flowering bulbs -- This is the last chance you will have this year to plant your spring-flowering bulbs.