The start of September marks the beginning of autumn, but before we head indoors for the winter it’s essential to give your garden some TLC to prepare it for the cold months ahead. 

From clearing up fallen leaves that cause messy moss-covered turf, right down to cleaning your tools before packing them into the shed, there are some jobs that just can’t wait until next year. 

To make these tasks easier you may need a helping hand. Toro, a global leader in turf and landscape maintenance equipment, developed the PowerPlex® range to help with maintaining the garden in any season. 

The products were designed with quick and easy use for homeowners in mind. The cordless 40V MAX* lithium-ion tools feature an interchangeable T90 battery, with on-board power meter, that charges in a mere 60 minutes and lasts up to 60 minutes depending on which tool you use. 

Here are some tips from Toro on how to use your PowerPlex® products to their full advantage this autumn:

Clear up all those fallen leaves

Piles of fallen leaves can be deadly for grass and border perennials. If left on your lawn, the grass beneath the leaves begins to die and your lawn is left patchy once the leaves have gone. Leaves in your borders can also cause problems, with snails and slugs gathering in the piles and your perennials can begin to rot. 

A leaf blower is the quick and easy answer to this problem. Take the Toro® Brushless DC Blower, designed to incorporate turbo-boost power functionality with speed lock, so that you can move large amounts of leaves quickly. As well as this, the brushless motor means there is more power, a longer runtime and a longer life when compared to a brushed motor. Collect the leaves once you’ve finished and turn them into leaf mould, the perfect soil enrichment to use in spring.

Tidy your borders

Before winter arrives you should pull up any annual plants and replace with winter beddings such as pansies and wallflowers that will flower in spring. You can also move poorly placed plants and divide overcrowded perennials. 

To finish off tidying your borders, use the PowerPlex® 33cm string trimmer/edger or the 35cm brushless DC string trimmer around the edge of your lawn. Both have a variable-speed trigger control to handle various applications. They also have a targeted run-time of 40 minutes on a single charge meaning you can get most, if not all, of the job done in one go.

Inspect trees and hedges

Check your trees for broken branches and remove any you find by cutting them off close to the trunk. Depending on the thickness of the branches you can use either the 61cm hedge trimmer, which has a 90-degree rotating handle and hardened steel blades, or the brushless DC chainsaw, which has a no pull easy start button and reduced kickback. While you have the hedge trimmer out, neaten up any hedges in your garden ready for winter too.

Clean and put away tools

Remember to clean your tools properly, especially if you have been using them on diseased plants. Once you have cleaned them, make sure they are fully dry and store them away for winter.

For more information visit www.toro.com/en-gb