As the temperatures start to drop, it’s time to begin thinking about what you need to do to your home and your yard before winter gets here. Some people don’t do much to prepare their yards for the winter, and they often see the results of that lack of preparation in the spring. They may find that their patio furniture is damaged, their paver patio has more cracks in it than before, and their shed has filled with water.
To keep that from happening, you need to winterize your backyard. This basic checklist will help you winterize your yard and protect it from winter storms.
Mow Your Yard One Last Time
The first step in preparing your yard for the winter is to give it one final mow, even if the grass isn’t that tall. That’s because, unlike in the summer, mowing in the fall is more than just keeping your grass short. It’s more about cutting up the leaves and other things on the ground that could keep your grass from getting the nutrients it needs during the winter. If you do have some longer grass, mowing it now will prevent it from falling over other grass. This can lead to other issues such as snow mold, a condition that occurs when snow falls over the bend-over grass, creating a warm, dark space for mold spores to grow.
You may also want to rake your yard, especially if there are a lot of grass clippings left from your mowing. Dead grass and other debris can smother your grass over the winter, plus it also provides space for mold spores. However, don’t rake your flowerbeds or garden. You want to let the leaves turn to natural mulch. They will help protect the roots of your flowers plus provide a home for butterflies and other beneficial insects.
Get Rid of Weeds and Dead Plants
Remove any weeds in your flowerbeds and remove any plants that are obviously dead. If you see any plants or bushes that show signs of disease, clip off any part that looks sick. Leave the healthy leaves and stems if possible, but if you see signs of rot or other issues at the bottom of the stem, the whole plant may need to go.
If you have perennials in your flowerbeds, you should cut back the ones that are fairly floppy. It’s okay to cut them down to the soil because the roots will live through the winter. For perennials with more rigid stems, you can leave them for now. You’ll cut them down to the soil in the spring. Over the winter, their stems will actually provide food for wildlife.
Put Away Your Lawn Furniture and Other Items
You likely won’t be using your lawn furniture much over the winter, so it’s time to put it in storage. Your shed, garage, or even your basement can serve as a good winter home for your chairs, umbrella, and even your patio table. Take down any items that could get damaged by the snow and ice, too. This may include the pillows on your porch swing and the string lights you have hanging from your trees. Winter storms can come with high winds, plus ice can accumulate on strings, cables, and other objects. Detach your garden hoses, drain any water out of them, and store them in the shed or garage.
Look at your kid’s outdoor items, too. While you likely can’t put a large swing set in your garage, you may be able to put away some of their smaller toys that they leave outside. You can also winterize their playhouse by cleaning it out and securing the door and any windows that open. If it’s a wooden playhouse, check the walls and roof to make sure there aren’t any areas that need repaired.
If you decide it’s time to get rid of the playhouse, swing set, or other outdoor furniture, Junk King North Texas can help. We take all of those items plus more. We can even haul away bags of yard debris, dead bushes, and old lawn equipment.
Check Your Patio
Both concrete and paver patios can be damaged over the winter. Water from melting snow can make its way into existing cracks, then make those cracks larger when it refreezes. Water can also get in between your pavers, forcing them farther apart and leaving openings for weeds to grow in the spring. If you see any damaged pavers, now’s a good time to replace them so they don’t get even more damaged over the winter. If you have a lot of old pavers you need to get rid of Junk King can haul those off for you.
For cracks in your concrete, you will find concrete repair mix at most home improvement stores. These products are very easy to use, and you can have your patio repaired pretty quickly. Just be sure to look at the packaging to see if the filler needs to set at a specific temperature. You may need to do this task soon if the weather is already getting colder or if storms are in the forecast.
Trim Up Your Trees
How do your trees look? Texas, especially the northern part of the state, does experience ice storms from time to time. The ice can freeze on the branches, causing them to become so heavy they snap off. Even if we don’t get a horrible ice storm this year, snow and heavy winds can cause dead limbs to break off and fall on your home or your car. They could even end up on your neighbor’s house.
If you have any limbs hanging over your house, your driveway, your shed, or over your neighbor’s house, you should have them trimmed back. You do not want a large limb coming through your roof during the middle of a horrible winter storm. While it can be tempting to try to do this work yourself, if there are a lot of limbs located fairly high up in the tree that need to come down, hire an expert. The last thing you want is to fall out of a tree and seriously injure yourself.
Once the limbs are down, Junk King North Texas can haul them off for you. We often pick up tree limbs, both from trimming projects and as part of debris cleanup after a storm. We can even get rid of an entire tree if you need to take one down.
Winterize Your Shed
Is your shed ready for the winter? You’ll want to check around the foundation and the roof to make certain everything is sealed up tightly. Any windows and doors should shut firmly and leave little to no space for moisture or insects to get into the shed. If you see any areas that are damaged, you’ll want to repair them before winter hits.
Mice, stray cats, and other animals will be seeking some warm place to live for the winter, and your shed may make a very tempting home. Once they can get in, they may eat or chew on whatever you have stored in the shed. This can ruin your yard equipment and destroy some of your summer sports gear.
Don’t Forget the Pool
If you have a pool or a hot tub, be sure you know how to properly winterize them. Pools need to have specific chemicals added to help them make it through the winter. You also want to be sure you clean the pool and correctly install a pool cover before it gets too cold. Maintain your pool equipment as the manufacturer recommends, too, which may include draining it so water doesn’t freeze in the tubes and pipes.
How Junk King North Texas Can Help You Prepare for the Winter
Winterizing your yard often leaves you with bulk trash you need to get rid of. This may include old lawn furniture that made it through one more summer but now needs to go, old pavers, cut tree limbs, and even a whole shed you had to demolish. What do you do with all this debris? It won’t all go in your city trash bin, and the city’s bulk trash pickup may not accept it all, either. You also may have to wait for the right pickup day, so you could be left storing debris for weeks.
Junk King will come haul this debris away plus take any furniture, appliances, electronic waste, and other junk you want to get rid of. We can handle everything except hazardous waste, so it’s likely we can take whatever you have. Once the junk is gone, you can finish preparing your yard for the winter.
Contact Junk King Today for an Estimate
Want to know more about how Junk King can take care of your yard debris and other bulk trash? Contact us today for a free, no-obligation estimate. You can reach us by phone a 1-888-888-JUNK and receive a quote over the phone. You can also arrange an in-person estimate if you have a lot of stuff to get rid of. Another option is to text us photos and information to 1-737-888-5865 or go online to use our estimator tool and schedule a pickup.
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