As the weather starts to cool, landscaping maintenance is essential to creating a vibrant and thriving lawn come spring. Don’t neglect your fall landscaping checklist. Proper fall lawn maintenance keeps your yard prepared for North Carolina's winter weather. Follow these tips for fall landscaping to maintain a beautiful and healthy lawn throughout the colder months.
Control weed growth.
Although it’s often difficult to wrangle weeds during the summer, fall is the perfect time to cut weeds back and control their growth rate. To fully flush out pesky weeds for good, apply a fall herbicide that'll help to kill off excess weeds in your yard. Controlling weed growth in fall discourages them from returning throughout the winter months and also means fewer weeds to manage at the start of spring.
Remove dead leaves and debris.
Fall is an obvious time to work on leaf and debris removal, but it can be difficult to keep up with throughout the season. However, it's important to remove dead leaves from your yard because decomposing foliage can damage your lawn and contaminate surface water. This often happens when leaves are not composted properly and emit soluble phosphates and nitrates that runoff during snowmelt in spring.
Mow regularly.
Even though the weather is turning towards colder months, it’s essential to maintain your lawn through mowing before snowfall. Long grasses that aren’t mowed properly lead to matting, causing an increase in grass or soil diseases. However, over trimming your grass can lead to weak grass and an excess of weed growth come spring. Before the weather starts to turn, keep the grass mowed to a length of two to two and a half inches.
Fertilize and seed your yard.
Fertilization doesn’t stop after summer ends. Keep your soil nourished by keeping up with fall fertilization efforts. This type of fall lawn care is important for encouraging root growth and helps nutrients absorb into the soil. Be sure to fertilize around shrubs, trees, and flower beds to ensure they are properly protected come winter. Seed dead lawn spots in fall to ensure a healthy and vibrant springtime lawn.
Cut back perennials.
Fall landscaping also involves cutting back any perennials located in your yard. To protect perennials and keep them growing next season, cut them back at the stem around two inches from the ground. You can also deter any burrowing animals or pests from intruding on your perennials and ornamental plants by spreading a good helping of mulch around the area.
Contact a professional for help.
There’s a lot involved with fall landscaping and you’ll want to get it right if you’re looking forward to a beautiful yard next spring and summer. Contact Charlotte Lawn Care and Landscaping to check off everything on your fall landscaping list. Your yard will maintain its natural beauty with some common fall landscaping measures performed by knowledgeable personnel. All it takes is a professional touch to get your yard looking its best before the Colorado winter. From fertilization and leaf removal to seeding and weeding, your yard will be well cared for this fall.