10 Tips for Cleaning Up Your Lawn this Fall

From Roots to Rain Gutters

Even though your lawn may start to collect some colorful leaves this season, it’s not the only thing to focus on before winter. Here are some fall lawn cleanup tips to help prepare your grass to get through the winter and bounce back beautifully in the spring. 

Fall Lawn Cleanup Tips 

We all know that leaves tend to pile up as they fall. But beyond that blanket of natural fertilizer, there are other areas of your lawn that need cleaning up before the ground freezes. Let’s start on the surface and then delve deeper into how to support your turf. 

• Mulch leaves. Not many homeowners enjoy raking and bagging leaves. And that’s okay, because your lawn and garden could benefit from leaving a thin layer as mulch. While a heavy pile can smother your grass—blocking light, trapping moisture, and inviting disease—running a mower over the leaves shreds them into mulch that easily decomposes and nourishes the soil. 
• Remove debris. Clear out dead plants, weeds, and other debris from garden beds to prevent disease and pests. 
• Weed control. Perennial weeds like dandelions and clover are still actively growing. This means now is a great time to use a pre-emergent product to help prevent them popping up in the spring. 
• Trim grass. Gradually lower your lawn mower blade to help keep your grass short before the final mow of the season. Longer blades not only leads to disease, but it also invites pests to nest. 
• Aerate. Help prevent water runoff, improve nutrient absorption, and revive your lawn from summer compaction by perforating the soil to allow air, water, and nutrients to penetrate deep into the roots. 
• Fertilize. Give your lawn a boost of nutrients that help the grass develop a strong root system and increase stress resistance before winter dormancy. 
• Seed. Patch bare spots and help thicken your lawn by spreading grass seed and keeping it moist until established. 
• By cleaning up your lawn now, you’re helping it recover from the summer, sustain it through the winter, and prepare it to pop in the spring. But there are also some other areas around the yard that may need cleaning up this season. 

Cleaning Up Around the Lawn 

Some areas around your yard may also need some sprucing. While you may not think they have to do with the health of your grass, they are connected. 

• Clear gutters. Cleaning out debris from gutters and downspouts allows water to flow properly away from your home. It also prevents water from overflowing and pooling in your lawn, leading to disease. 
• Prune plants. Remove damaged an diseased branches from trees and shrubs to prevent them from breaking off during storms and cluttering your lawn with more debris. 
• Cleaning and storing tools. Before you store your mower for the season, be sure to properly clean and sharpen the blades. This keeps it in prime condition to mow your lawn effectively next time. 

From the areas around your lawn to the root systems below the soil, proper fall care promotes healthy grass growth and a vibrant environment overall. Taking the time to follow these fall lawn cleanup tips now will pay off with a beautiful landscape next year.