It may seem like the right move to trim back all of your plants when summer comes to a close, but one TikTok gardener is advising viewers to do the opposite.
The scoop
Kaleb Wyse (@wyseguide) works on a fourth-generation farm in Iowa and posts tips and tricks for gardening and cooking.
In one of his videos, Wyse shared his No. 1 rule for the fall season — don't prune or trim any of your plants. Instead, wait until the late winter or early spring.
This is because pruning encourages new growth, especially on boxwood and shrubs, which isn't what you want when heading into winter.
Wyse clarifies that you can deadhead your plants or trim back the blooms to get rid of unsightly dying leaves or flowers, but you don't want to cut them back too far.
"While it may be tempting to get outside in the fall and clean up your yard," Wyse said, "I have one simple rule at this time of year: Do not touch anything! It's not the time of year to do lots of pruning."
How it's helping
The best part of this gardening hack is that it means you can avoid some yard work in the fall — "That means less work for you, it means just time to sit back [and] enjoy the autumn season," Wyse says.
If you're still looking to spend more time outside in the fall, there are other fall planting methods, like this lasagna method that will ensure you have blooms all season long. You can also take the time to plan out your gardens for the coming season with this easy routine from TikTok gardener Jerra (@jerrasgarden).
This hack will also result in healthier produce and flowers, which will only benefit you and the local environment by attracting pollinators.
Pollinators like hummingbirds and bumblebees are vital to most ecosystems. In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, one out of every three bites of food is thanks to pollinators — which includes some foods that you may not expect, like coffee and spices.
What everyone's saying
Comments on the post reveal just how valuable the tip is to Wyse's followers. One commenter wrote, "I had no idea about this," while others could empathize with the desire to start fresh, saying: "So smart! I'm often tempted to trim things back."
Others were relieved to hear the news. "Thank you!" said one user. "I was going to trim my boxwoods this weekend! You just saved me a lot of work!"
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