Three New Year’s Resolutions for Homeowners to Consider

The last couple of years, I have suggested three New Year’s resolutions for homeowners to consider adopting. But, before I jump in, I’d like to remind you of my suggestions in the last two years.

In 2024, I encouraged homeowners to evaluate their landscape, get their soil tested, and do research from reputable sources.

In 2025, I suggested that homeowners plan their vegetable garden before planting it, improve their lawn, and consider native plants first when adding to their landscape.

And now, here are my suggestions for 2026.

Goal #1: Resolve to renew mulch in your landscape beds

If you have organic mulch in your landscape beds and haven’t touched it for a couple of years, it’s time to renew that mulch. At the very least, disturbance of the mulch is warranted, as some mulches tend to get “crusty” and hydrophobic (they repel water). You can then add new mulch on top of the old, thinning mulch. Better yet, remove the old and replace it with new mulch.

One of the dangers of years-old mulch is that it can develop artillery fungi (a.k.a. shotgun fungi), or other types of fungi like bird’s nest fungi and slime mold. The fruiting bodies of Artillery fungi can orient themselves toward bright or light-colored surfaces, such as house siding, parked vehicles, or the undersides of tree or shrub leaves. When spores are released, they exit with enough velocity to reach the second story of a building (hence the name). The sticky spore mass is very difficult to remove, and it looks like a tiny speck of tar. Some have described the spore mass as looking like fly specks or fly dung.

Mulch helps control weeds and reduce water loss from the soil. But don’t overdo it – 2-3 inches of mulch is usually sufficient.

Goal#2: Resolve to improve your lawn with cultural practices

Some good lawn cultural practices to consider include mowing higher, using sharp mower blades, and considering aeration of your lawn. These points of emphasis are outlined in greater detail in Purdue Extension publication AY-8-W, “Mowing, Dethatching, Aerifying and Rolling Turf,” found at https://edustore.purdue.edu.

In some households, mowing height is a point of disagreement. Some prefer a shorter mowing height, while others prefer it taller. Optimum mowing height will vary somewhat with the turf species, but mowing below the optimum height restricts root growth and increases susceptibility to damage from insects, disease, drought, and traffic. Low mowing also favors weed infestations. 2½ to 3½ inches is a good target height for most lawns.

Do you sharpen your mower blades at least once per year? If not, they are probably very dull, and they shatter the ends of grass blades, giving the mown lawn a whitish cast from a distance. If you have a large lawn, you may need to sharpen blades several times each growing season.

To aerify your lawn, most people rent a machine that pulls soil cores or “plugs” out of the ground. Aerification relieves soil compaction, improves water and air movement into the soil, increases rooting, and can greatly improve turfgrass health. Additionally, aerification can also reduce thatch. For most lawns, target April and/or September for this task.

Goal #3: Resolve to plant a tree

For details about best practices for planting trees, access Purdue Extension publication FNR-433-W, “Tree Installation: Process and Practices.”

First, it is important to select the right tree for the right location. So, do some research. A good planting target date is Arbor Day (the last Friday in April), from a few weeks before to a few weeks after.

Access the publication for best practices when planting. It also contains a “blueprint” you can use to make sure you’re doing things right. A couple of key mistakes people make are planting a tree too deeply and over-mulching. The root flare, just above the first main root, is flared out like the flare of a bell. This flare should be visible above your final soil grade. Also, don’t “volcano mulch” your trees. Use 2-3 inches of mulch around the root zone, with no mulch against the trunk. In fact, a small air gap between the mulch and the trunk is recommended.

I hope you have a great 2026!