We recently put an add for fall services in our local newspaper (to the right), and we wanted to add a blog post to give a better idea of what exactly fall lawn maintenance includes and why is is so important.

Fall is one of your lawns favorite time of the year. After the hot and dry summer the cool air and moisture rejuvenates your lawn and helps get it ready for the winter months ahead. You might not know however that fall is one of the most critical times to perform maintenance and get your lawn ready for winter – and returning healthier in the spring.

What needs to be done to your lawn during the fall?

• Keep the leaves cleaned up. Don’t wait until they all fall from the trees to remove them from your lawn. Doing this prevents the sunlight from reaching the grass blades and blocking food from your lawn. Your lawn needs to store food right now for the winter months ahead.
• Mow your lawn around 2 1/2 ” – 2 3/4″ during the fall months. If your have long grass after snow fall mice, moles and other pests will use the grass to stay warm under the snow during the winter.
• Mulching your leaves is a great way to return nutrients to your soil and prevent leaf build up.
• Aerating your lawn in the fall pokes holes into the soil allowing water and nutrients to reach the roots and promote strong root systems for your lawn.
• Fall fertilizers such as Scott’s Winter Guard strengthen and feed your turf grass while providing proactive weed control. Even if you do not want to use a chemical fertilizer check out some organic feeds to help feed your lawn and prepare it for winter. The stronger your lawn in the fall the less weeds and more thickness you will have in the spring.
• Fall is a great time to add new seed to your lawn. The cool moist weather is great for germination and this also helps thicken your lawn and reduce weeds in the spring.

Other things to consider during the fall.

• Have your gutters cleaned out. Clogged gutters are a big cause of ice sickles. Fall leaves build up in gutters easily – even if you have gutter guards 9 chances out of 10 your gutters probably need cleaned out.
• Winterize your lawn equipment. Empty the gas, change blades, spark plugs, and filters. Maintaining your equipment now ensures it will be ready to go during the spring.

If you have any questions or would like more information about anything outlined above give us a call at (814) 515-3115 or email us at Services@Legoservices.com. We are always available to help – 7 days a week!