Pro Tips for Fall Lawn Cleanup
Caring for Your Yard
Pro Tips for Fall Lawn Cleanup
By Matt Gersib | Seasonal Safety
Fall is just around the corner and for homeowners committed to caring for their yards, it’ s a busy time of year. While the grass may grow slower, the debris from plants and trees can be overwhelming. That’ s why it’ s important to use your tools, particularly your mower and blower, to your advantage to make the work easier.
With this in mind, Jeremy Knecht, landscape professional at J Jacobs Grounds, offers tips for keeping your lawn in tip-top shape this fall. He also shares a schedule he uses for fall lawn care and cleanup.
Keep Mulching
“ Most of the yards we maintain are a ryegrass and bluegrass mix or a turf-type fall fescue,” Knecht said.“ By September, the turf growth has slowed down but we will continue to mulch the lawns each week through October.”
Some homeowners, particularly those sensitive to environmental impact, will keep mulching leaves and yard debris until the end of the season.
“ Mulching won’ t give you the same finished appearance,” he said.“ There will be more chips and debris loose in the grass but it’ s a good option.”
Knecht recommends that homeowners mulch throughout the season and continue mowing weekly so the volume of fallen leaves doesn’ t overwhelm the landscape.
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“ Since the grass is growing slower, weekly mowing is more about managing the fallen leaves so they don’ t overwhelm the mower. There’ s nothing wrong with chopped-up leaves in the lawn as long as it’ s not a huge amount.”
One caveat to mulching is when a high volume of walnuts or acorns is on the lawn. It can be dangerous mowing through those from a projectile standpoint. They can also affect the pH of the soil, which can be detrimental to grass health.
Blow Before You Mow
In early November, lawn cleanup should be the focus. Use a blower to clear leaves and plant debris from landscape features and flower beds, paired with bagger-equipped mowers to remove the debris from the lawn.
“ Once everything is blown out of the beds, we’ ll use the UltraVac( bagging system) to vacuum everything up. It picks everything up, so it’ s nice and clean right down to the bare grass.” Even without a bagger-equipped mower, it can still be helpful to mow the lawn after blowing out landscaping and before raking up the debris. Mowing, especially mulching, chops the leaves and debris into smaller pieces that can be easier to vacuum up with a leaf vac or rake. Those smaller pieces also enable more debris to fit into each yard waste bag for disposal.
Compost Yard Waste
When it comes to disposing of yard waste, particularly for homeowners with larger properties, keeping some yard debris on site is a best practice.
“ It’ s a lot easier to keep the debris on site, so we’ ll dump
August 2024 AcreageLife 31