Fall lawn maintenance

It is that time of year when homeowners must prepare their lawns for the coming winter. Fall lawn maintenance incudes the basic things that everyone should do to ensure that their lawn survives the winter so it will look great next spring includes removing all debris such as branches and leaves falling to the ground. If you have any pine trees or Cedar Trees you will also want to remove all of the needles that fall to the ground. It is amazing how many Pine Needles fall from the tree every year.

If you have a pool, leaves and needles are going to be blown into your pool, sink to the bottom and become a rotting mess next spring when it comes time to open the pool. the best approach in addition to having an air tight surface cover on your pool is to rake all of the leaves up from your lawn and also to remove any leaves from the pool in the fall when they are still intact and relatively easy to remove.

Fall lawn maintenance – don’t Leave the Grass Too Long

In addition to removing all debris, the lawn should be cut one final time to ensure that it is not too long that it provides a home for small animals such as mice and moles. The small animals will create trails underneath the snow in the grass and leave a maze of trails with dead grass all over your lawn. It can be pretty messy if you have this happen to your lawn. While your lawn will recover, it will take a few weeks before the trails disappear and the lawn is back to normal.

Approximately one month before the end of the season consumers should also apply fall fertilizer. This fertilizer is especially designed to promote root growth and a healthy lawn for the next season. If you have a grub problem, begin treating the lawn in August with grub control treatment. You will need to apply several applications to properly deal with the grubs. You will know if you have a grub problem. Your grass looks thin and animals are digging up your lawn to get at the grubs. They apparently are considered a delicacy by skunks and raccoons! We have seen entire lawns ruined by these grubs and the animals digging up the lawn to get at them.

Protect From Heavy Snow Loads

Consumers will also want to protect small shrubs from heavy snow load. Heavy snow can break the branches of a small shrub ruining it for the next season. Consumers can build small wooden tents over the shrub to protect it from the snow. Taller shrubs should be wrapped in burlap after the first snow or freezing cycle to avoid broken branches etc.

These are maintenance activities that will improve the overall look of your property. These activities preserve your investment in shrubs and your lawn for the coming year. These steps are relatively easy to accomplish. They do not take a lot of time or expense and is well worth the investment.