05 Sep Fall Maintenance With An Eco-Friendly Approach
Fall Maintenance With An Eco-Friendly Approach
It’s almost time to turn our attention to fall maintenance. While raking your lawn and tidying your garden may be top of mind before winter strikes, the traditional approach to leaf cleanup may be doing more harm than good to the environment. Those fallen, rotting leaves are home to important pollinators, butterfly larvae, microbes and worms. In fact, leaf litter is where many species of insects (the good kind — those that add to the biodiversity of your neighbourhood’s plant life) spend the winter. Birds building nests may also use different bits of leaf litter as nesting material.
So, what can you do instead of piling your leaves into bags? Here are a few eco-friendly ideas.
Use leaves as mulch for your planter beds: Can’t stand the idea of a lawn full of leaves? Does your homeowner association require you to clean up your lawn? Rake leaves off of the lawn and add them to your planter beds for organic mulch that will protect your plants all winter long.
Mulch leaves on your lawn: Use your mower to mulch leaves on your lawn to protect it from winter damage and fertilize the soil.
Add leaves to your composter: Do you have a backyard composter? Rake your leaves and add them to your mixture to create a rich, biodiverse soil for next year.
Essential Fall Gardening Tasks for Beauty Year-Round
Autumn is the perfect time to lay the groundwork for a gorgeous spring garden. Experts say this time of year is critical for how your yard will look year-round. Add enjoyment and selling features to your home with this fall garden checklist:
- Early in the fall, repair dead spots in the lawn by digging straight down and as deep as necessary to remove all soil containing the roots. Fill the hole with a loamy topsoil and tamp down to level with the turf. Seed the area with a mix that matches your existing turf grass. Water regularly while the seeds germinate and sprout.
- Combine one part blood meal, one part bone meal, and one part wood ash to scatter over bulb beds for beautiful blooms come Spring.
- Fall is the ideal time to plant a deciduous tree. Plant your new addition about six weeks before the deep frost. Be sure to prepare a hole large enough, about five times the width of the root ball. Retain the soil you remove from the hole and use it as backfill to allow your new tree to adjust to its natural soil as quickly as possible.
- Add a little lighting to extend the beauty of your garden through the winter months. You could try adding light pale trees such as birches with back floodlighting, or sling tiny lights over your shrubs and trees to give your winter garden a whimsical aesthetic.
Prepare Your Home For the Winter
- shut off exterior faucets and put away hoses
- check outdoor lights and replace bulbs
- check walkways, steps and railings for safety
- test smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, fire extinguishers – check expiry dates, and replace batteries as needed
- walk around the property, check for signs of damage to the roof, siding and foundation and organize repairs
- clean gutters and downspouts
- check exhaust vents, dryer vent, ensure they are clean
- have your gas appliances serviced, i.e. furnace, fireplace, stoves
- for wood fueled appliances schedule a chimney cleaning before using
- stock up on winter supplies, i.e. snow shovels, service snow blowers, ice melt
As experienced realtors® in Ottawa, we would love to have a discussion with you to determine the best options to increase the value of your property! We have the expertise to help you sell your home for top dollar!