Seasonal Tips Spring Spread granular, slow-acting fertilizer. (This is optional if you fertilized in the fall or winter) Aerate the lawn to treat compacted soil. Mulch with organic matter, if necessary. Sharpen your mower blades at the start of the season. Summer Learn the signs of bug infestation, and head them off before they get settled in. Water your lawn weekly if rain is scarce or your soil is poor. Otherwise, water only when rainfall is delayed more than 10 days. Treat weeds and bare spots as soon as you see them. Sharpen your mower blade again halfway through the season. Autumn Water trees and shrubs thoroughly mulched before the first frost. But don’t over water! Plants and shrubs should be expected to look a little brown in September and October. Mulch with organic material, or mow a layer of fallen leaves into the lawn. Fertilize your lawn around Thanksgiving to promote strong root growth during winter. Cutting the grass a bit shorter just before winter to prevent its matting under snow. Winter Put burlap windscreens around less hardy plants if they’re in exposed areas. Use a broom to brush snow away from evergreen trees gently, to keep the weight from breaking the limbs. If ice or snow does break tree limbs, have the limbs removed as soon as weather permits – damaged trees are prone to disease. Putting markers at the edge of your lawn will help you avoid damaging it when you’re shoveling snow. Avoid walking on frosted or snow-covered lawns. Use only non-salt de-ices for sidewalks and driveways, so the runoff doesn’t harm plants. Salt will damage grass, perennials, and shrubs, and will keep the plants from absorbing much-needed water. Check any perennial plants during periods of thawing soil to see if roots popping out of the ground. If they have, gently push them back into place, and add mulch.