October’s departure was unforgettable and wild – leaving an indelible mark on our hearts and landscape.  Snow?  Furious winds?  Trick-or-treating?  The three do not mesh well and left many running for the comfort and warmth of home… sans candy.  Only the truly driven and hardened trick-or-treaters braved the night and were rewarded handsomely…with frost bite, pneumonia, and a record-breaking haul of sugar.

November arrived bearing gifts.  Blue skies, wispy clouds, brisk air, and an extra hour of sleep.  The latter, of course, being my favorite.  How on earth could anyone dread November?  Right off the bat, she’s got all the other 11 months beat simply by giving back the hour of sleep we were forced to relinquish in Spring.  November also kicks off the holiday season, and acts as a bridge as we look back upon the year and peer into the future.  November is a month to pause before the harried holidays, but it is not quite time to pause our mowers and walk away from our lawns.

Our lawns, more than ever, require our care and diligence.  What we do now, before winter, can help prevent damage and disease come Spring.  Continue to mow until the grass has gone completely dormant.  This is a must!  The last mow of the season should be cut slightly shorter, around 2″.  Leaves should continue to be removed and thatch properly managed via aeration.  Take advantage of late Fall fertilizations, aptly referred to as “winterizers” –  perhaps the most important fertilization of the season.  Winterizers benefit the lawn’s root system all throughout the winter months and affects the lawn’s development in Spring.  Roots absorb and store the nutrients in winter, which are then immediately available to the lawn in Spring when temperatures begin to warm.  The result is lush, healthy, green grass.

So whatever you do, don’t call off the mowers yet and schedule your late Fall fertilization for a healthy, verdant lawn in Spring.

“November comes

And November goes,

With the last red berries

And the first white snows.

With night coming early,

And dawn coming late,

And ice in the bucket

And frost by the gate.

The fires burn

And the kettles sing,

And earth sinks to rest

Until next Spring.”

-Elizabeth Coatsworth

Best wishes,

Kim Sweeney