July 16, 2019 | Posted in: Fall Lawn Care, Lawn Care

In a couple of months, the leaves will start to change; we will put away pool toys and garden gloves.  Wondering how best to care for your lawn in fall?  Here are a few more important chores that can keep your yard from looking neglected over the winter and give you a head start on a great looking lawn come spring.

With all the summer activity on your lawn, your grass can take a beating! A good fertilizer treatment can help it grow back stronger in the spring.

1. Weed and feed.

Fall is a great time to put down a fertilizer to help your grass bounce back after months of baking in the summer sun and foot traffic.  This bit of extra feeding will help your grass roots sink deeper, allowing them to more easily soak up melting snow in the spring.  A dual-purpose weed and feed application will get rid any weeds that have sprung up, too.

2. Put away the trimmers.

Most pruning and trimming of bushes should be done in spring or the dead of winter, but absolutely not the fall.  Trimming a branch encourages the plant to grow and heal in that space when it should be saving its energy for preparing to go dormant.  The exposed cut will start to heal during the warmth of day, but an overnight chill can damage that process.  Instead, plan ahead:  do some light trimming now, in summer, and then put the shears away until spring.

3. Clean up any leaves and debris

When leaves cover your lawn this fall, call EnJay and save yourself the time and trouble of cleanup!

Decomposing leaves left on your lawn over the winter can block the spring sunlight from reaching your grass.  In addition, organic debris can encourage the growth of a lawn disease called snow mold.  It also serves as a fabulous shelter for all sorts of lawn pests and insects.

Want to learn more about the effects of snow mold? Check out our article from last winter here.

Any fall lawn care strategy should include raking up all the leaves, weeds, and dead plants.  You can compost these to create fertilizer for next year’s garden, but make sure your compost gets hot enough to kill off any weed seeds.  Remove waste as well, and put away any toys or lawn ornaments.  Once the snow starts to fall you’ve lost your chance, so make sure your fall clean-up is done by late-October or early November (if weather conditions allow) to avoid having debris on your grass all winter.

EnJay’s fast, friendly techs stay until the job is done.   Our number one job is to make your spaces beautiful.  Read more about our service-first focus here.

4. Pack away lawn furniture.

Put cushions in waterproof storage, stack the chairs, and cover your grill or move it inside to keep it from rusting.  And if you have the space, bring that glass-topped patio table under shelter.  Once the snow starts falling, you’ll be glad it’s stowed away.  Not only will you lengthen the life of your stuff, but your lawn will look neater and better maintained without irregular, furniture-shaped mounds of snow.

Packing away your lawn furniture will not only improve the curb appeal of your lawn, but it will protect your furniture from damaging weather and exposure to the elements.

 

5. Blow out your irrigation system

Once temps start to fall overnight, your sprinkler system is at risk of costly damage if you’ve left water in the lines or the sprinkler heads.  Water expands as it freezes into ice, causing breakage of the material surrounding it. Our recent blog post explores this more thoroughly.  Nevertheless it bears repeating here: get your irrigation system winterized before the cold hits!

Start Planning for Fall Now.

Every year, EnJay’s Fall clean-up appointments start to fill up in mid-September.  Since we strive to have each client’s lawn serviced before the snow starts accumulating, the appointment times get tight.   For the greatest flexibility, start planning now!  Book your Fall Cleanup early and beat the rush!

(952) 206-5296 (LAWN)

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