Temperate · zones 6–7
The close
Winterize without smothering
Final mow a touch lower than summer, not a scalp. Keep leaves off turf. After a couple of freezes, mulch roses and tender shrubs. Drain irrigation. Sharpen and oil everything.
In season now
The jobs that lose the window if you wait
Also this month
Still in season — do them when you have a block of time
Prep
Service the mower and sharpen blades
A winter afternoon in the garage pays you back every Saturday.
This month
Cut back or leave standing
Messy stems feed birds and overwintering insects. Rotting mush can go.
Coming up
Next month, so you can stage tools and products
On the bench
Products this month’s jobs actually call for.
Shops follow Home yard in Madison, Mississippi. A garden center within 30 miles of that pin shows first. If none are that close, the national stores — Amazon, Home Depot, Lowe’s, and the rest — take their place. Some links are paid. A purchase can earn Madison Planting & Design Group a commission. The care advice does not change.
Finished compost
The default soil builder for beds, trees, and thin lawns.
- When
- Spring or fall. Avoid raw manure against stems.
- Rate
- ½ inch topdress on lawns; 1–2 inches worked into beds.
- Note
- Screened compost topdress after aeration is a quiet lawn miracle.
Example pick · Bagged finished compost
Shredded hardwood mulch
Holds moisture, smothers weeds, and feeds soil as it breaks down.
- When
- Late spring after soil warms, and a light refresh in fall.
- Rate
- 2–3 inches. Keep a 3-inch gap around trunks and crowns.
- Note
- Volcano mulch kills trees. Never pile it against bark.
Example pick · Shredded hardwood mulch
Mycorrhizal inoculant
Helpful at planting time for trees, roses, and natives in poor soil.
- When
- In the planting hole, in contact with roots.
- Note
- Skip on plants that do not partner with mycorrhizae (brassicas, some annuals).
Example pick · Mycorrhizal inoculant
Winterizer
Lower nitrogen, higher potassium for the last cool-season pass.
- When
- October–early November, before the ground freezes.
- Rate
- 0.5 lb N per 1,000 sq ft, 4–6 weeks after the September feeding.
- For your lawn
- About 37.5 lb to deliver 0.75 lb N / 1,000 sq ft on 5,000 sq ft
- Note
- Do not use a high-N winterizer on dormant warm-season turf.
Example pick · Scotts WinterGuard Fall Lawn Food