Fall is almost here, what’s next for your lawn and garden?

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — While Fall isn’t officially here until September 22, at 8:34 am EST, it’s not far and it’s time to start thinking about what you need to do to get your lawn and garden prepped for the winter, and ready for next year. If you’re looking to do something new, Jessica DeMasio, the General Manager of Broccolo Lawn and Landscape, the Fall is the best time to do almost everything.

“Fall really usually is the best time for planting in general. So fall, if you’re looking to put a new shade tree in your lawn or plant a new perennial garden, a lot of the garden centers have sales at this time of year,” said DeMasio.

In our colder climate, perennial ryegrass, kentucky bluegrass, and other fescue grasses are common and when it comes to planting, generally now is the best time to get this done. Especially if you’re planning to aerate your lawn this fall, as it can help get the seed further down in the soil. In addition to the other benefits that come from aeration like lessening some of the compaction in your yard to let root systems expand.

So if you’re looking at your sunny spots in your lawn areas, fall is the best time for seeding and that’s exactly this time. You’re looking to get your grass, your seed in and your grass germinated before the frost comes,” said DeMasio. “Now the shady areas of your lawn, now those are going to best be seeded in the springtime.”

“You wanna make sure you’re seeding early enough so that your seed can germinate and come up before the leaves fill in on your maple trees and it becomes dense shade again.”

Other things that are good to do now are things like top dressing, and and soil conditioners. Once the first frost does come too, your grass is generally done growing for the season and you should cut it short for the winter. As for your garden, you should also start cutting some things short, but not all.

“You know, on a day like today, our crews are here and we’re doing things like cutting back annual flowers and things like that, deciding which perennials to leave up, maybe perennials to cut back,” said DeMasio. “Some perennials we like to leave up for the winter to provide food and shelter. And some of them we like to let go to seed to spread throughout the garden. So you kind of have to make those decisions in your garden right now.”

Some perennials like dahlias for example, are still in bloom and don’t need to be dropped just yet. But they won’t last outside all winter, these and other more sensitive plants need to be dug up and stored inside. While others like ornamental grasses, you can cut and leave through the colder months. With the leaves getting ready to fall too, they can be useful to winterize your garden and keep your annuals and perennials insulated during the winter.

“In the lawn though, you want to, you know, gauge the amount of leaves you’re leaving on the lawn. A thick heavy layer is probably not the best thing to leave on the lawn. It could smother and kill your grass,” said DeMasio.

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