As winter approaches there are many things you can do to prepare the exterior of your home and your yard for colder weather and snow accumulations. Here are just a few of the tips that can help to ensure a better winter for your yard:

• Mow one last time. When mowing your lawn for the winter you should mow it short. If grass is left too long during the winter it will lay over on itself and can actually reduce air flow destroying the lawn. The most common cause of this is a condition called snow mold, an early lawn disease that occurs. This mold can destroy large areas of your lawn.
• Trim back flowers. Some of the flowers in your beds consist of flowers or other plants that go dormant during the winter. You should take the time to cut back the tops of these plants when they turn brown. For some areas specific flowers or plants may not turn brown before the snow falls, in these cases the trimming should wait until spring.
• Use extra fertilizer. Your lawn will benefit from a final application of fertilizer. While grass goes dormant and won’t use all of the nutrients provided by the fertilizer at the time of application they will remain in the soil and will benefit the grass as it grows in the spring.
• Clean up the exterior of your home. When you take the time to clean up the exterior areas of your home by putting away toys, rolling up hoses, and cleaning up any debris such as leaves you ensure that your lawn has a more flat surface where snow can fall. Objects left on the lawn when covered by snow can also smother your lawn and cause damage.
• Prepare for snow removal. One of the most important things you can do outside your home is to ensure that all areas are ready for the arrival of snow. By making sure your lawn is mowed and cleaned off you’ve taken care of one area. In addition, you need to make sure that you have everything you’ll need to remove snow from sidewalks and porches as well. Having a shovel, snow melt, or other products readily available will ensure you are ready for the first snowfall when it arrives.

Taking the time to clean and care for your yard before the winter will give you a head start to a healthy lawn in the spring. Taking care of your yard can be a year-round challenge, but if you take the time to fertilize, mow, and clean off your lawn you’ll be a step ahead before spring arrives again.

This has been a guest post. Use Milwaukee Parts in order to maintain your yard and keep it looking great all year round!