FALL YARD CLEANUP & LAWN MAINTENANCE

Summer is drawing to a close, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to put away your lawn and garden work ethic. If you want a vibrant and healthy lawn and garden in the spring, there is plenty of lawn maintenance left to do before winter arrives.

Preparing your lawn and garden for winter will give you less yard work to do once the weather warms. Here are some steps you can take to get ahead of the game this fall.

Step 1: Keep Up on Lawn Maintenance  

Thatch builds up when grass clippings are not chopped finely enough with a mulching mower or if excessive clippings are not removed after cutting. To prevent thatch from accumulating, rake your lawn after mowing—especially at the end of the growing season. If you have thatch buildup, you might need to dethatch.

You should dethatch if thatch is more than ?" thick. Use an iron rake or a thatch rake to cut through and rake off thatch. This will also scarify the surface. For large lawns, you may want to consider renting a walk-behind dethatching machine.

Lawn aeration in the fall will give you healthy grass in the spring. Aerating allows for greater movement of water, fertilizer and air. It also increases the speed of mulch decomposition and encourages deep root growth, so be sure to aerate before applying fertilizer. You can aerate your lawn with a hand cultivator or a mechanical aerator.

For moderately compacted soil in a limited area, systematically prick holes in the soil with a spading or digging fork. Holes should be 2" to 3" apart and 1" to 2" deep. If you're dealing with a larger lawn area or you want to make the task easier, there are several types of push spike or coring aerators you can rent or purchase. Some models look a little like a manual push mower with spikes or star-shaped wheels instead of blades. Others are designed as attachments that fit behind a power mower. For medium-to-large areas, you’ll want to rent a gas-powered spiking aerator.

Step 2: Dethatch and Aerate Your Lawn  

Thatch builds up when grass clippings are not chopped finely enough with a mulching mower or if excessive clippings are not removed after cutting. To prevent thatch from accumulating, rake your lawn after mowing—especially at the end of the growing season. If you have thatch buildup, you might need to dethatch.

You should dethatch if thatch is more than ?" thick. Use an iron rake or a thatch rake to cut through and rake off thatch. This will also scarify the surface. For large lawns, you may want to consider renting a walk-behind dethatching machine.

Lawn aeration in the fall will give you healthy grass in the spring. Aerating allows for greater movement of water, fertilizer and air. It also increases the speed of mulch decomposition and encourages deep root growth, so be sure to aerate before applying fertilizer. You can aerate your lawn with a hand cultivator or a mechanical aerator.

For moderately compacted soil in a limited area, systematically prick holes in the soil with a spading or digging fork. Holes should be 2" to 3" apart and 1" to 2" deep. If you're dealing with a larger lawn area or you want to make the task easier, there are several types of push spike or coring aerators you can rent or purchase. Some models look a little like a manual push mower with spikes or star-shaped wheels instead of blades. Others are designed as attachments that fit behind a power mower. For medium-to-large areas, you’ll want to rent a gas-powered spiking aerator.

Step 4: Fertilize Your Lawn and Garden  

It’s important to fertilize before the first frost. Experts at your locally-owned True Value? store can fill you in on everything you need to know about lawn fertilization, including how to find the right fall fertilizer for your grass or flowerbeds. They will probably recommend a fertilizer designed for fall use. These fertilizers have high potassium content, which better equips the lawn for winter months, and helps the lawn resist disease and drought. Load your spreader over the sidewalk or driveway to prevent spills that can damage vegetation and apply the fertilizer evenly over the entire lawn or flowerbed. Take care not to fertilize roses, however, because this discourages winter growth and makes your roses more vulnerable to extreme temperatures and conditions.

Step 5: Clean and Repair Gutters  

Check your gutters after the bulk of leaves have fallen for the season. Clogged gutters can damage your home and cause basement flooding when snow melts, so it’s important to clean your gutters before winter hits. Use a ladder to get onto the roof, and then remove leaves and twigs with gloved hands and/or a large scoop. Place the debris in a trash bag, carefully dropping it to the ground when it’s full. Use a hose to flush out the gutters after you’re done cleaning. With the hose running, you’ll also find any leaks that need to be repaired.

You can easily patch a leaky gutter yourself. Scrub the inside of the gutter around the hole with steel wool. With metal snips, cut a patch of metal flashing that is slightly larger than the hole. Use a putty knife to coat the back of the metal patch with asphalt flashing cement or gutter patch and press into place. Smooth any adhesive that oozes out with gloved hands.