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As temperatures drop and leaves cover your lawn, you may forget about landscaping. To maintain your lawn and prepare for spring, it’s important to care for your yard in the fall and winter. Here are the steps you should take this season.

Get Rid of Weeds
Now is the time to fight weeds. During the colder months, weeds — and most plants — enter energy-absorbing mode. If you apply an herbicide, the weeds will absorb the weed killer instead of nutrients. That means when spring and summer roll around, you will have less weeds!

Lose the Leaves
Instead of waiting until the leaves pile up, rake the leaves periodically. This will prevent the leaves from getting wet and sticking together, making it difficult to gather the leaves in piles. Raking will also prevent harmful bacteria from accumulating on the leaves. So rake now — you’ll thank yourself when you have luscious, healthy grass in the spring.

Don’t Forget to Mow
Continue to mow your lawn as you would in the spring. Make sure your lawn mower’s blades are sharp. At the end of winter, when there’s less sun, lower the mower's blade to its lowest setting. This will allow the sun to reach the grass.

Fertilize Now
If you think you only need to fertilize in the spring, think again. Fall and winter are the most important seasons to fertilize. Cover your yard with fertilizer, be careful not to miss bald spots in your grass. The nutrients in fertilizer will keep your grass healthy all year long.

Use Natural Mulch
You should apply mulch to your yard twice a year. Mulch retains the soil’s moisture and temperature. For these reasons, it’s important to apply mulch to your yard in the colder, dryer months. Mulch also serves as a weed killer. So incorporate mulch into your landscaping routine.

When choosing your mulch, consider using a natural option such as pine straw. These are brown needles that have fallen off of pine trees. Pine straw is a strong weed barrier, moisture retainer, and organic boost for your soil. Also, pine straw lowers the pH of your soil and protects it from freezing conditions. This makes pine straw useful in the winter, when the weather is cooler.

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