Is your yard ready for winter? Preparing in advance will save you time and energy when spring comes along. Whether your yard is a total mess, or you need to prep it for a new season, you need to feel confident enough to take on the job. Luckily, you can keep your yard in tip-top condition by following our yard cleanup and junk removal tips:
1. Be prepared
Before you tackle your messy yard, make sure you have all the tools and equipment. A few essentials include: a rake, big trash bags, gardening gloves, fertilizer, sunscreen, clippers, and shears. If you don’t have all the correct tools, you might feel tempted to stop halfway and tell yourself you’ll finish it another day. This way, you’re guaranteed to get the job done. A yard cleanup is a major project; make a list of what needs to be done so that you don’t feel overwhelmed.
2. Clean out debris
Fallen branches, leaves, and scattered sticks aren’t the usual things you want to display in your yard. Make sure to clean up debris and clear out flower beds to keep the pests at bay. Fallen leaves and dead foliage can smother plants and foster disease, especially in rose beds. And don’t forget about the debris collecting in your gutters. When the debris gets wet it absorbs rainwater like a sponge and becomes extremely heavy, putting it at risk of falling. Instead of throwing all your debris away, you could turn it into mulch by using a wood-chipper.
3. Prune and trim
Prune back bushes and hedges that have been damaged by the weather, as well as overgrown perennials. Try to prune away branches when they are young – they are much easier to manage at that stage, and you’ll decrease the risk of leaving nasty scars. If you can’t reach damaged tree limbs and branches, hire a professional tree-trimmer. This article provides some great pruning and tree trimming tips.
4. Mow your lawn
If your lawn is looking more ‘jungle’ than backyard, then maybe it’s time for a trim. The trick is to follow the one-third rule – never cut away more than one-third of the grass blade in any one mowing (even if your lawn has grown seven inches high). If clippings are too large, catch them with a bagging unit or clean after mowing with a leaf rake. Unlike short clippings that decompose easily, large clippings can take a while to break down and create a very weak and flimsy thatch layer. Remember, never send off grass clippings to a dumping site – you can use it for mulch on your vegetable or flower gardens, or make a compost pile.
5. Fertilize
To survive the winter, your plants will need plenty of nutrients. Add a lawn fertilizer with high phosphorous content to encourage root growth. This ensures that when spring rolls back around, your lawn will be green and lush. It’s a good idea to aerate your lawn to ensure vital nutrients creep into the soil.
After your yard cleanup project, you’re going to be left with a lot of debris and unwanted waste – whether it’s old fencing, huge branches, or stumps, it can be a chore to dispose of everything yourself. Junk King provides an efficient, safe, and eco-friendly yard waste and junk removal service so you don’t need to worry about the pick up or disposal of your yard debris. Furthermore, they recycle everything they can – which is a big plus for the environment. For your next yard cleanup project, contact Junk King.
