If you don't like sappy puns, you better leaf right now!
Brace yourself…crunchy leaf piles are coming and every day they will be rustling. Autumn is officially here on the 22nd September!
OK, I will stop now with the awful puns... who am I kidding there will definitely be a few more during this ‘How to prepare your garden for the upcoming season’ blog.
Summer is gradually disappearing, and the nights are slowly drawing in, the trees are starting to turn and will soon be covered in bright multi-coloured leaves and gently FALL-ing to the ground. Autumn is soon to be upon us, and September is the perfect time to time to start preparing your garden for the upcoming colder months.
Pruning season is usually the first stage in preparing your garden for the winter and is usually conducted in Autumn during the months of August and September; these months are ideal to start tending to your trees, hedges and bushes. Now that the leaves are starting to fall, the exposed branches are becoming more visible making this the perfect opportunity to make good use of your pole pruner, giving you the extra reach you need to tackle those smaller trees and lower branches on bigger trees these machines can make the job much easier and safer too! If you don’t already own one take a look at our range of long reach hedge-trimmers and ensure your garden is set for the winter .
You will also want to ensure that you remove any broken branches or dead/diseased wood and weeds around your hedges as these can delay fresh growth and of course we do all of this work for the hedge to be lusciously green when it comes to next season! We have a large selection of cordless and petrol hedge trimmers which will be perfect for keeping your hedges and bushes in tip top condition. September time is also ideal time to prune your hedges as you are less likely to disturb any nesting birds - check out this information from RHS for more advice on trimming hedges-
What did the tree say to Autumn? … Leaf me alone.
Once you have the hedges and trees taken care of, its time tackle those pesky fallen leaves. By clearing your lawn and grounds of leaves, dead grass and other debris this will help you prepare your garden before that first frost hits. Composting your leaves is a brilliant way to recycle and create earthy organic matter that adds nutrients to your garden soil and of course can save you spending money on shop bought compost too! We have a wide range of leaf blowers from our popular leading brands such as STIHL, HUSQVANRNA and MAKITA, to help make clearing your lawn as simple as possible. A petrol leaf blower/vacuum would make light work of clearing lawns, pathways and driveways. Some of the most popular current leaf blowers include the Stihl SH86C-E and the Husqvarna 125 BVX, these models convert to from a blower to a vacuum which is brilliant for borders and cleaning out grids, it also shreds piles of leaves and reduces their volume by 14:1 which makes it ideal composting material. The Makita BHX2501 is a fantastic 4-stoke blower only model which has proved to be one of the most popular in the range for many years, alternatively the Stihl BG86C-E or the Husqvarna 525BX are fine examples of 2-stroke models.
The final job after you have cleared all the dreaded leaves is to firmly rake your lawn to remove any embedded moss. This would also make a perfect time to fertilise your lawn with the right fertiliser!
September and October are now the best times to start closing down your garden. Which means giving your lawn that one last final mow of the year. By raising the cutting height of your mower from its usual setting, will allow the grass to breathe and stay strong enough to withstand the winter and snow. After you have given your lawn that last once over it may also be best to start thinking about getting your mower booked in for its annual service, this way your mower can be serviced whilst it’s not needed and back in your shed / garage ready for next season – service times towards winter are usually much quicker than the summer months too!
Good practice is to take time and remove any dirt and grass from the mower deck, drain the mower of as much fuel and oil as possible and get those blades sharpened. Keeping your petrol lawnmower stored flat and horizontal is a must to avoid fuel contaminating the filters.
We also suggest that you give all your tools a general MOT and service when required, because if you look after your tools they will look after you – again its best to have the machinery serviced during the seasons you don’t use them so they will be ready and rearing to go when you are! Especially when it comes to storing your garden machinery, it is best to drain your petrol power/garden tools if they are not going to be used for a good few months through winter after all your gardening jobs have been done. By draining the fuel you are reducing starting issues next season when you come to use the machine – old fuel is not good for any machine!
If you store petrol in your machines for long periods of time this can cause blockages and gumming to the intricate fuel delivery parts. Unleaded petrol also has a short shelf life when it’s not in use so don’t let it cause you issues! Here at World of Power we recommend you run the machine dry OR drain it and run the engine until the fuel is completely empty and pipes clear.
For your battery powered garden tools, the batteries are recommended to be disconnected from the machines to prevent corrosion and clean the terminals. They should then be stored fully charged in a dry area which will not become too cold or too hot as this can cause damage to the battery, it is also recommended they are stored separate from the machine (please refer to the owner’s manual for more information on storage of batteries). You still also need to ensure that your machines are then stored away clean, safe and securely in a good working condition.
Pumpkin Spice and Everything nice.
Now that your garden and machinery are all ready for their winter hibernation you can finally rest and put your feet up in front of the fire, wear those cosy jumpers and carve those Pumpkins…we hope your log pile for the fire has been drying out nicely for several months and ready to burn during the cold Autumnal nights!
The life of a gardening enthusiast never ends… but here at WORLD OF POWER we be-LEAF in you! Shop online 24/7 via our website or visit our Buxton showroom Monday – Saturday for friendly expert advice!
