Seasonal Safety Landscape Professional Tips
it in a back corner of the property to let it start composting,” Kecht added.
“ I’ ll just take our dump trailer full of debris at the end of a work day and dump it near our garden. It’ s free, good fertilizer and ground cover for our garden. It’ s a win-win situation and it’ s free.”
Consistency Is Key
While the grass may not be growing, homeowners should continue mowing weekly through the fall. This is less about cutting the grass and more about managing the yard waste.
“ After mulching yards through October, we typically break yard cleanups into three sessions: one in early November, one in late November and then a final cleaning in December,” he said.
“ We’ ll blow out the landscape beds each time, then run the bagger-equipped mower over the lawn. If any shrubs or perennials need trimming, we’ ll do that too.”
Reduce Cut Height
One tip for easing fall yard cleanup is reducing mower cut height, particularly for the cold season grass varieties he typically maintains.
“ Once we get into the fall season, we’ ll typically set the mowers up at three inches, which is a fair amount lower than normal in the summertime,” he said.“ In the summer, we’ ll mow at between three and four inches, more if the lawn is thick.
The lower cut height helps create a stronger vacuum effect when bagging clippings. It also helps reduce the impact of snow piles on the lawn.
“ If there’ s a pile of snow and the grass is taller, it’ ll get matted down and wet-stuck to the ground. Then you have more chance of snow mold growing on the grass.”
Production: Take this Fall Yard Care timeline below and perhaps put this in a sidebar so it stands out from the rest! The cut off would be after December and before the quote.
Fall Yard Care Timeline
Here is a typical routine from September through the end of the year. These items are in addition to weekly mowing / mulching of the lawn.
Early September: Apply broadleaf protection to the lawn. This helps to kill off dandelions and other broadleaf weeds earlier than if protection is applied the following spring.
Late September / Early October: Aerate, dethatch or overseed the lawn. Overseeding in the fall is preferable because it enables the grass seed to start growing earlier the next season.
November: Install baggers on mowers. Blow leaf debris out of landscapes and planters before mowing.
December: After the final mowing and cleanup, apply a winterizer fertilizer. This adds nitrogen to the soil so it’ s ready for spring’ s arrival.
“ Winterizer fertilizer is a must-do for people who want their yard to be greener than their neighbors’ yards first thing in the spring,” Knecht said.
If you follow these tips, you can easily take your fall lawn care and cleanup routine up a notch, making it more manageable. Not only that, but come next spring, you’ ll have a lawn that’ s the envy of the neighborhood.
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