Let’s face it…now that the kids are back at school, you’ve got all kinds of spare time. Instead of refereeing who gets the last popsicle or mopping up the remnants of a Kool-Aid experiment gone horribly wrong, you can finally attend to the fall landscaping cleanup tasks piling up around your yard. Yay! (Insert muted applause here.)
Of course, late summer/early autumn are the perfect time to get your fall gardening done and put your lawn to bed for this season and ready for next spring. And because we know you love a good to-do list, we’re happy to provide you with the Top Six Tasks for Fall Landscaping Cleanup!
- Toughen up your turf. The single most important thing you should do in the fall is fertilize your lawn. It’s the perfect time since your lawn is recovering from a long, hot summer. Remember, early to mid-October is your last chance to get the most important fertilizing done in order to strengthen grass and roots, and generate a strong base from which to grow next spring.
- Keep evergreens green. Don’t let the name fool you. If not sufficiently watered, your evergreens will fall victim to dehydration. In fact, they’re more susceptible to this than all other trees and shrubs. (Thus, the reason you’ll see brown needles in the spring.) Prevent that by watering evergreens well before winter to keep them ever green.
- Love your lawn. Overseed your lawn with new grass seed in the fall for a thicker lawn next spring. Not only will your yard be healthier, a thicker lawn will crowd out weeds naturally, making it less likely you’ll have to use chemical herbicides to control them.
- Give it some air. Aeration allows air, water, and nutrients to penetrate the roots of your grass plants. This enables them to grow deeper, which in turn, creates a stronger, hardier lawn.
- More from your mower. Add years to the life of your mower by winterizing it before storing it. This should include running the engine until all gas is gone, changing the oil, charging the battery, and cleaning the underside. Now is also a good time to replace spark plugs, sharpen blades, and replace both the air and fuel filters.
- Dodge the deep freeze. Even a small amount of water left in the pipes of your irrigation system can freeze, swell, and rupture pipe walls. Minimize this risk and ensure a dependable start in the spring by having a professional “blow out” your irrigation system in late fall.
If just reading this list leaves you exhausted, give us a call at 763-398-0739. We’re never too tired to tackle it all.
