Think of winter as your landscape off-season in your annual game plan. Take the right steps now to set yourself up for success next spring.
Aerate Now
Your turf will fare winter’s weather best and come back with more vitality in the spring if you aerate while it is still green. Give your turf some breathing room as it transitions into the cold season. Swingle’s fall aeration breaks up the dry, compacted Colorado soil, allowing water and nutrients to reach the roots. Watering your turf by hand during the dry winter months can help it green-up faster in spring.
Fall is for Seeding!
A formula for success, fall aeration and over-seeding helps to fill in bare spots to provide a thick, green turf. It also helps make your turf less susceptible to disease by introducing a variety of hardy grass types.
Soak up the Goodness
Proper turf care means caring for the soil beneath it as well, especially in Colorado. Swingle’s commercial-grade organic soil-conditioner will green-up your turf areas and help eliminate brown spots.
Keepin’ it Green
Get more out of the time and money you invest in mowing, trimming and maintaining your commercial turf by fertilizing in the fall. Swingle’s custom-blended fertilizer is designed for our unique Colorado climate. It boosts the health of your turf by providing vital nutrients.
A Great Time to Trim
It’s important to prune certain species during their dormant season in order to prevent the start of diseases such as Fire Blight, which has been very prevalent along the Front Range the past few years. It’s also a great time to prune deciduous (leafy) trees when they are dormant as well as prune overgrown evergreen and spruce trees.
Fall and Winter Watering
Traditionally, the driest months in Colorado are November through February. Watering during this time is critical to the health of your trees and shrubs. Your trees should be watered about every three to four weeks as long as temperatures are above freezing. We can take care of it, so your maintenance team doesn’t have to. With Swingle’s ReCharge supplemental watering, we water when needed. If moisture levels are adequate we hold off.
Refreshing Your Trees
Fall tree fertilization increases the productivity of soil by increasing nutrient availability and encouraging root growth. Trees and shrubs with a healthy productive root system are far more likely to overwinter with fewer dead branches and increased spring growth.
Be Sure to Blow Out
Winterizing your sprinkler system before the first freeze helps prevent costly repairs to your system and home. Swingle uses compressed air to remove all water and moisture from your system, preventing any opportunity of freezing and damage over the winter. Be sure to properly cover the back flow preventer (commercial back flows may look different, but the premise still applies) to defend against any hard freezes that could lead to a broken pipe and an expense you haven’t budgeted for. If you’re unsure, ask a Swingle expert.
Prep for the Holidays
It might seem like the holidays are months away, yet the jolly season will be here before we know it. Planning now will allow Swingle’s décor experts stop by early to ensure your property is glimmering before the holiday bells ring! Partner with the commercial Christmas lighting experts and enjoy the benefits.
Cut Back Perennials
Once temperatures hit the freezing mark and plants die back, cut back the stems of your perennials to within an inch or two of the ground. Later in the fall consider adding light mulch such as hay, straw or pine needles. Renew the top few inches of mulch in your flowerbeds to protect perennials from the hard freezes. Keep mulch around trees looking more like a doughnut and less like a volcano. This will discourage critters from digging in and feasting on the tree.
Plant Now for Later
Yes, you still have time to do some planting that will yield results in the spring. Fall’s cool air and warm soil can be the best time to plant trees and shrubs. Bulbs should be in the ground by October 15, while trees and shrubs should be planted by the end of October. By planting now, new trees and shrubs can get used to their new home without enduring the dog days of summer. Swingle can provide recommendations on which trees and shrubs to add during the fall months.