Landscape Now: Winter Prep for Your Lawn, Water Features and Ponds

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Frank Crandall, GoLocalWorcester Landscaping Expert

 

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Incredibly, the winter season is close at hand...freezing temperatures, snow, ice and frozen ground. Now is the time to take steps to prepare your lawn, water features and fish ponds before winter arrives. These simple actions will help your landscape survive the winter conditions and be in good shape when spring arrives. Our winters can be unpredictable, but with these precautionary steps your lawn, ponds and water features will survive!

5 Steps for Lawn Care Preparation

1. Cleaning leaves off your lawn is critical so the grass will not smother and die under the shady, moist layer of leaves as well as develop diseases. The leaves you rake up or mulch can be a great source of compost and insulation for your beds during the winter.

2. Fall is a great time to aerate your lawn. An aerator will pull out tiny plugs of turf and soil that will allow water and nutrients to better access the grass roots. The plugs should be left on the surface, when the lawn is mowed they will be chopped up and distribute nutrients and soil to the lawn. Be careful to identify all sprinkler heads in the lawn before aerating!

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3. For the last mowing of the season lower the height by a notch to give the lawn a closer mow to help prevent the smothering of longer grass blades and that can lead to disease problems. Be careful not to scalp the lawn resulting in damage to the grass crowns.

4. Before the ground freezes water the lawn one final time. If you have a sprinkler system blow it out before the temperature is consistently below freezing. Throughout the winter minimize heavy traffic on lawn areas that result in a worn path. Those areas will green up much slower in the spring.

5. Be careful not to fertilize or apply lime after the ground freezes. One of the major sources of non point pollution of streams and ponds is nutrient runoff from lawns. Make your last treatments in October or early November before the ground is frozen.

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5 Water Features and Fish Pond Maintenance Steps

Water features (water gardens, water falls and fountains) and water ponds with fish and plants will need special care to make sure they do not suffer from freezing during the winter months. Preparation steps to take before water freezes:

1. Remove all non-hardy plants from your water gardens and store in a nonfreezing location. Hardy plants and water lilies can be cut back and stored in a deep part of the pond or garden.

2. Cut down on the feeding of fish and by the time the temperatures are consistently in the 30’s the fish will begin to slow their metabolism and begin hibernating at the bottom of the pond.

3. Remove all dead material and debris from the water garden and pond. Place a fine netting over the pond to catch leaves before they clog up the water feature.

4. Make sure the water level is up to the edges. When the water freezes it is advisable to remove the pump so the water will not flow over the ice and out of the pond. Keep an aerator and a deicer going so that fish and plants can respire through an opening in the water surface. Store your pump in a container of water where it will not freeze and keep the seals from drying out.

5. Monitor the water level throughout the winter and add water when the level drops, especially if the plants and fish are exposed. With our variable winter conditions keeping an eye on your water feature will be very helpful in preventing major problems!

Winter Preparation Summary

Following these simple steps will help your landscape features and lawn, better handle the potentially extreme winter conditions. Monitoring your water feature and snow and ice buildup on your lawn will allow you the opportunity to remove the excess material helping to prevent further damage now and in the spring. For those adventurous homeowners you can keep your waterfall pump going all winter, but you will need to frequently check the water levels, be sure no water in running around the ice draining the pond and take steps to deal with no water flow if the electric goes out! Better to put the gardens and ponds to bed for the winter and dream about starting them up again in the spring!

In my next article I will look at winter decorating ideas for your window boxes, pots and planters!

“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Frank Crandall, Horticultural Solutions. Frank is a R.I. resident specializing in coastal landscaping, organic land care, small business consulting, writing, speaking and photography and will be submitting biweekly articles about Landscape Solutions. Frank just published his third book, Creating a More Peaceful, Happy and Successful Life!. You can read more about his book on his website, www.FrankCrandall3.com Comments about Frank’s articles are welcome by contacting him at [email protected].

 

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