We all know fall comes with falling leaves to clean up,. But this is also the best time of year for other important lawn maintenance. Here are the top tips for easy fall lawn clean up.

Fall Lawn Clean Up Tips

Before you put your lawn to bed for the winter, clean it up to help ensure it will bounce back easily come spring.

1. Remove yard debris. This covers everything from leaves to weeds. Regularly rake up any leaves so they don’t form a warm, wet blanket that smothers your lawn and could attract disease. If you don’t feel like raking, you can run your lawnmower over leaves to mulch them and use them as grass fertilizer. Anything left out on your lawn that could be covered by leaves and eventually snow could kill the grass underneath it. So it’s best to clear the yard of furniture, toys, and other yard decor as well.
2. Keep mowing. You want to continue to cut your grass until it stops growing after the first frost. Once the weather gets cooler, set your mower blade to the lowest setting. Remember, your mower can help you manage those leaves. So, keep it at the ready until the weather drops below 50 degrees during the day.
3. Remove dead branches, shrubs, and trees. Fall is not the ideal time for pruning, but it’s always a great time to remove dead, diseased or infested plants. After cutting down the plant, be sure to dig out the stump or roots before the ground hardens. If you’ve had to remove a few dead plants around your yard, fall is also a great time to plant something new.
4. Aerate. After a summer out on the lawn, all of that foot traffic, mowing, weeding, and other yard work could compact the soil. Help alleviate thatch and let your yard breathe by poking the soil with aeration holes. Right after aerating, overseed and water your lawn to maximize growth potential.
5. Fertilize. Between the cool temperatures and morning dew, your lawn will take in fertilizer and regain strength from the stressful summer.
6. Mulch around plants to help prevent soil erosion and suppress weeds. Add a two to three-inch layer of mulch. Use pine needles, straw, shredded leaves, or grass clippings to act as a natural blanket during the cold season.

Fall into a Regular Maintenance Routine

There may be a lot to do this season to prepare your lawn and garden for winter, but you don’t have to do it all at once. Some projects, like aerating and seeding, can be done together. Then take a break before you mow or mulch. For more maintenance tips and to help schedule some of the more involved yard projects, contact the lawn experts at Cardinal Lawns.