Fall Maintenance: Getting Your Ohio Yard Ready For Winter

Oh, the joy of fall lawn maintenance. It’s that time of year where you regret planting all those trees in your yard so many years ago. With winter on our heels, we have to start preparing our yard for the cold months ahead and start planning ahead for next spring. We have put together some tips to help you with your fall lawn care journey.

Rake Fallen Leaves

The first and most important thing you need to do in the fall is to rake. Depending on the size of your yard and the number of trees you have, you could be looking at a half-hour of work to several hours. But it has to be done. Leaves are heavy, wet, and they block sunlight to your grass, creating the perfect conditions for lawn diseases.

Continue to Mow

Grasses like fine fescue and Kentucky bluegrass are cool-season grasses which mean they do their growing in the spring and fall when temperatures are cooler. In the heat of the summer, they go dormant. So even though your flowers and vegetables have stopped growing, your grass is just starting to wake up again. Most of the growing is done underground as your grass tries to store energy for the winter. On the surface, growth will slow down but you should continue to mow to prevent your grass from getting too long before winter.

Check Your Gutters

Gutters are often overlooked during the fall but they are so important to the structure of your home. When gutters clog with leaves and other debris it causes water to overflow when it rains. This water can leak into your roof or down the outside of your house. Over time, it can cause boards to rot or warp and can cause leaks in your home. Clogged gutters can cause water to overflow and settle around your foundation which, over time, can erode away the soil and cause your foundation to sink or crack. In the spring and summer, the standing water in your gutters could become a mosquito breeding ground. So take the time to check your gutters because it could save you a lot of money.

Prune Your Trees and Shrubs

After your trees have shed their leaves and have gone dormant it is the ideal time to prune them. Trees heal much faster when they are dormant and are a lot less likely to be exposed to pests and diseases. Prune limbs that hang too close to the ground, branches that form odd angles to the trunk, and limbs that compete with the central trunk.

Aerate Your yard

Is your yard starting to look a little weak or thin? Is it not performing as well as it did at the beginning of the summer? Over the year our yards take a beating from all the running, playing, and driving on it with the mower. The more we use our lawns the more the soil underneath becomes hard and compacted. Compacted soil cuts off the supply of water, air, and nutrients your grass needs to survive. Other symptoms of soil compaction include:

• Pools of water
• Bare spots of dirt
• Hard soil
• Squishy grass from thatch buildup
• Water runoff

Call the Professionals at Land-Art

If you need help with improving the look and health of your yard, call the professionals at Land-Art. Our pest control barrier will make critters think twice before trying to enter your home.

We offer aeration and overseeding services that will make your yard pop and come back stronger next year.

Call today at 1-800-336-5296 or leave a message on our site. Follow us on Facebook for updates and news, and visit our monthly blog for more lawn care tips and tricks.