Shrubs and Trees

• November is an ideal time to plant or transplant trees, shrubs and fruit crops. Be sure to water thoroughly, then mulch newly planted plants with a good 3- to 4-inch layer of mulch. Newly planted evergreens should be checked regularly during the winter to ensure they are getting enough water.
• Mulch existing trees and shrubs to reduce weeds, provide insulation from freezing temperatures and conserve moisture.

Perennials, Annuals and Bulbs

• Reduce peony botrytis blight and hollyhock rust by removing and disposing of all leaves and stems this fall. Roses should have all their leaves raked from beneath to prevent black spot. Dispose of plant materials in the trash, not the compost pile. This will reduce the carryover of disease during the winter and you will have less trouble next year.
• Cut chrysanthemum and other perennials’ stems close to the ground once they have begun to die back. Leave ornamental grasses to provide winter interest until spring.
• You can continue to transplant perennials throughout the fall and winter unless they are marginally hardly in your zone. Those marginal plants are best planted in spring. Now is also an ideal time to plant spring-flowering bulbs. Consider planting some of the minor bulbs such as winter aconite, glory of the snow, species tulips, crocus, narcissus and grape hyacinths.
• Winter annuals such as pansies, violas, Dianthus chinensis, red mustard, snapdragons, ornamental cabbage and kale can still be planted – the earlier in the month, the better.
• Mulch flower beds with 2 to 3 inches of good compost or fine mulch to keep soil temperature stable and prevent winter plant injury from frost heaving. As the compost or fine mulch decomposes, it will enrich your garden soil as well.

Lawn Care

• It’s not too late to fertilize your cool-season fescue lawn. Use a turf fertilizer and follow label directions. This encourages good root development and helps improve the color of the lawn.

• Keep heavy layers of leaves raked from the lawn. They should be composted. Another option is to mow over a light layer of leaves, turning them into mulch, which adds important nutrients back to the lawn.
• November is the month for the first herbicide application for wild garlic and wild onion. Ask your county UT Extension office for information on herbicides and rates of application.

Fruits and Vegetables

• As soon as leaves fall from fruit trees and berry plants, spray for the first time with a dormant horticultural oil. This helps control overwintering insects and disease. Apply according to label instructions.
• Incorporate compost in the annual and vegetable gardens for next growing season.
• Complete removal of fallen leaves and debris to help eliminate overwintering insects and disease organisms.
• Cut the tops off asparagus plants and mulch with a good layer of compost.
• Cover strawberries 2 inches deep with hay or straw to reduce weeds and increase winter protection.
• Secure raspberry and blackberry canes to stakes to protect them from wind whipping.

Davis Kee Outdoor offers professional landcape services all year-round to ensure your yard is beautiful and vibrant in the spring. Contact us today!

Source: University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Office

1. Raise The Height Of Your Mower Deck
   As a general rule of thumb, turf grasses should be mowed often enough so that you never remove more than 1/4-1/3 of each bade of grass. Example: If a Tall Fescue lawn is cut at a height of 2 inches, the grass should be cut when it reaches 3 inches. The removal of too much plant material can shock the grass especially when the grass is dormant, and lead to issues. Most of the common cool season grasses grown in our area are recommended to be mowed to a length of 2-3″
2. Eliminate Lawn Weeds
   The winter weeds that sprout will remain small from the time they come up in the fall through most of December, January and into early February. They begin to grow quickly once our weather begins to warm in late February and March, so we highly recommend taking weed mitigation action during the winter months before the weeds begin growing quickly.
3. Remove Those Unsightly Leaves
   Leaves allowed to sit on your yard will cause a lack of light and air reaching your lawn. This will deplete your soil of needed nitrogen for the growth of healthy grass and may also breed fungal disease. We recommend using a leaf blower to clear your yard since damage to your grass can occur when using rakes to remove leaves.
4. Don’t Mow Wet Grass
   Mowing a wet lawn can kill new grass shoots and damage roots.
5. Aerate
   The best time to aerate your lawn in this area is in the fall or winter time, depending on the type of lawn you have. Ask us for the correct time to aerate with your particular lawn type.
6. Dial In Irrigation
   Do not over water your lawn during the winter months. We typically recommend one inch of water per week for most common grasses, but do contact us to determine what watering schedule is best for your lawn.
7. Don’t Overlook Fertilizer
   Fertilizing your lawn gives your grass the critical nutrients it needs. In the springtime, your lawn will use those nutrients stored in the soil to make your lawn green and lush while helping with preventing weeds, pests, and diseases once it starts warming up.

FALL MULCH APPLICATION & LAWN MAINTENANCE

Autumn is your last opportunity to prepare your yard before winter arrives. One relatively easy and very effective solution is to give your landscape plants a helping hand is the application of a 2-3″ new layer of fresh mulch. Mulch is very effective at protecting plant roots from frost or freeze damage. It also assists plants with retaining critical moisture during the cold season. This will ensure your plants survive and their beauty is preserved for blooming next season. Davis Kee Outdoor can efficiently and professionally apply new mulch to keep your outdoor green spaces beautiful.

This is the perfect time to apply winterizer lawn fertilizer. This step is the most crucial of all of the steps in your lawn fertilizer regimen. A winterizer application ensures the health of your grass is properly supported so normal growth can occur right up until freezing occurs. This step also ensures that nutrients can be absorbed and stored by the roots to spur lush growth once spring arrives. At Davis Kee Outdoor, we can apply a premium witerizer fertilizer to ensure your lawn is lush and beautiful when spring arrives.

CULLING THE DEAD & DYING

Contrary to popular belief, autumn is not the best time for heavy pruning. Autumn is, however, the perfect time to remove any dead and dying shrubs, trees, plants and leaves from your landscape. Remove dead annuals and blooms and cut back dead and dying perennials and grasses. Lightly prune any dead or dying branches from shrubs and trees. Remove dead hydrangea blossoms, but leave the stalks as these will blossom again in the spring. At Davis Kee Outdoor, our professional leaf removal and landscape maintenance services can help you ensure that your yard is ready for winter.

WATERING TIPS FOR FALL

Proper watering is a crucial element of a healthy yard and garden. Your lawn and beds do not require as much water in the fall as they did in spring and summer. Overwatering is extremely harmful, so it is important to keep to a steady moderate watering schedule. Twenty minutes of watering twice a week in the morning hours should be sufficient in our climate. Once frost is forecast, discontinue watering as this will be when your lawn enters a dormant state. Pull weeds as necessary, and cut your lawn shorter-down to 2-3 inches of height. This ensures sufficient height to help your lawn retain moisture, but minimizes issues with lawn pests and fungal infections.

Spring is absolutely a critical season for lawn and garden care and ensuring your yard is healthy, lush and beautiful, but autumn preparations are every bit as crucial. A well executed and consistent lawn and garden care routine during the fall months will ensure that your entire landscape is healthy when spring arrives. For professional assistance with maintaining your outdoor spaces, contact Davis Kee Outdoor today.

One of the options that you have is sod, for rolling out that new lush green lawn without the need to plant seeds and wait. Of course, that means it requires care, just like establishing any type of new lawn. That also means addressing questions, such as when to put sod down.

Sod in Eastern Tennessee & North Georgia

This area varies somewhat in conditions and climate due to elevation. There will be some slight variances regarding the timeframe to put down sod and the maintenance that will be required.

Much of what can impact the results you will get from this process depends on the type of grass you are installing. Certain grasses are more resilient and farewell almost under any circumstances; others are not as hardy.

Another factor to consider is how wet the ground is. It is usually advisable to wait and install during cooler weather than to attempt an installation while conditions are too wet. Sod farms typically do not cut sod during wet conditions and rolling the new sod out would more than likely drown it. The easy rule of thumb is that as long as the ground is not frozen, laying out sod is possible.

Bermuda sod is more likely to weather colder conditions if put down in the winter. However, it can be difficult to acquire Bermuda sod in cooler months. The sod farms that supply our area usually wait to begin cutting until spring.

The best practice is that April is the ideal time to lay sod. However, if you must lay sod in the winter, make sure you are working with an experienced landscaping company that can choose a sod that has a better chance of surviving and thriving in our area.

Professional Care & Maintenance

Working with Davis Kee Outdoor for your sod installation and upkeep is a great way to ensure a successful outcome. We will meet with you to discuss the options that you have and then determine when the type of grass you want should be put out. Each season is unique and current conditions must be taken into consideration in order to ensure the best results. Let Davis Kee Outdoor help you with your best lawn ever!