Waiting to clean up your yard until spring can be a more sustainable and lower maintenance strategy.
Traditional garden management calls for clearing flower beds in the fall to clean and prepare them for spring. However, this approach can mean more work for you and has some environmental drawbacks. Leaving plants where they are is an important part of rethinking how we can create more sustainable landscapes in the fall and throughout the year . Here are five reasons why you shouldn't mow your lawn in the fall and what you should do instead.
Benefits of not pruning plants in the fall
1. Free plants
When you plant your own and cover the species you want, you get free plants that can cover the ground and control weeds, increase soil moisture, reduce erosion, improve soil conditions, and more. If you cut and clean the flower heads in the fall, you lose a free source of seeds. Of course, you can kill aggressive plants that are too prolific, but if so, removing and replacing them may be a more low-maintenance option for you.
2. Support for wildlife
These seed-filled flower heads provide food for birds during the winter. If you have lots of plants with lots of seed heads and seeds that fall to the ground to be eaten, there's no need to add a bird feeder. Leaving plants until spring also provides protection for birds from predators and shelter during winter storms, not to mention other wildlife that needs the same protection.
Advice
Don't worry if your plant seeds attract pests. This animal species does not eat seeds; They prefer leftover food in our trash cans.
3. Flood prevention
Plant stems and grasses store enough moisture in winter. If your area is prone to urban flooding, leave plants standing to prevent more rainfall (or snow) that drains quickly, as all plant material retains moisture. Shrubs and trees have the same advantages. The more leaves and stems you have, the less water will flood hard urban surfaces that can't absorb rainfall.
4. Natural snow fence
By reducing water runoff, standing plants act as snow barriers, reducing drift on sidewalks, roadways and driveways. This also causes more snow to collect around the plant, insulating the roots in very cold weather. And then these sediments wet the soil during the spring thaw.
5. Winter flowers
Brown is also a color, and these stems and umbrellas can look very architectural during the winter decline. Consider how you can make winter interesting and plan by learning to appreciate the various landscape colors of brown, black, copper, and more. Once you've done this, you'll never want to mow perennial or ornamental grasses again.
Advice
Cut back diseased plant material in fall and dispose of properly (do not compost).
When to mow your garden
So when should you cut back perennials and ornamental grasses? In spring, you may see posts on social media asking to wait until daytime temperatures reach 10°C, but this is not true. Research shows that it is the soil temperature that matters, not the air temperature . When soil temperatures remain at or above 50 °F , microbial activity in the soil and plants increases and many creatures (such as insects, spiders, and hibernating frogs) begin to wake up and become active.
In some areas, the ground can get quite warm during tax season, when fruit trees are in bloom, or when lawns need constant mowing. However, due to climate change and weather fluctuations, it can be difficult to know exactly when to prune your garden in spring.
A soil thermometer is an inexpensive way to know when to remove the blades. Most states also provide soil temperature measurements and charts to help farmers determine the best time to plant. This information is available through local university land grant programs. The National Weather Service also has a map on its website.
Related: 10 Perennials You Should Prune in Fall
How to Prune Plants (Or Not)
When pruning plants in spring, you can use hedge trimmers, garden shears, or mulch cutters depending on the location and density of the plants. However, you may find that some areas of your landscape do not need to be cleaned at all in the spring because winter snow has flattened or damaged plants. You can leave old stems and leaves where they fall into the flower bed to make free mulch.
Advice
If you decide to cover a small garden yard or other area where you want the plants to self-seed more, it's a good idea to rake and remove the cuttings every two years to allow more sunlight to reach the soil and encourage seed germination.
Related: 7 Best Lawn Mowers in 2023 to Keep Your Yard Clean and Tidy, Tested
Always let the plant stand
The dry stems of some native perennial plants provide excellent nesting sites for 25% of native cave bee species. I found that the following species are very active from spring to midsummer for different types of bees:
When these plants reach 12 to 18 inches in height in spring, native stingless bees have plenty of nesting material. Aesthetically this may bother some people, but within a few weeks it will cover the new growth.
Fall gardens don't always require a lot of work. With that in mind, give your garden (and yourself) a break. You can then benefit from the many ecosystem services that will be provided in the coming months, from shelter and food for wildlife to reduced snowpack and urban flooding as the ground freezes and water flows more easily.
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Read the original article in Better Homes & Gardens.
