Caring for trees on your property beautifies the tree and improves the health and safety of your home. There’s some really simple tips to follow as the leaves change color and temperatures dip.
Trimming Branches
Keeping branches clear of power lines, fences, driveways and rooflines protects your property during severe weather. Falling branches cause power outages and expensive damaged to property. Trimming and removing damaged branches enhances the health of trees. Professional services will consider your property and make choices to improve the overall health of trees. Hiring experts is typically the best practice when dealing with mature trees or any tree near property or ultilies.
Cleaning Leaves
Removing leaves from grass protects against compaction, fungus and other diseases at lawn surface. Leaves are wonderful for composting and protecting garden beds during the winter.
- We have great mulching kits for Hustler, Toro & Spartan riding mowers and nearly all walk power mowers have a mulch setting. Carbon rich leaf particles and nitrogen rich grass clippings provide necessary nutrients for your lawn.
- Control your leaves – If you deal will a lot of leaves, then you must collect excess leaves and debris. Power blowers act as gas powered rakes quickly moving leaves into piles. Use excess leaves to protect your garden during the cold months, composting bins or add them to your mulch beds.
- Protect plants with leaves – Just like wood mulch, leaves help to warm bulbs, shrubs and tree roots from frigid weather. Leaves certainly lack the uniform beauty of wood mulch but they are effective at protecting your plants. When cleaning mulch beds, planting bulbs and trimming shrubs in the fall consider using excess leaves as a base layer between the soil and wood mulch.
Mulch Beds
- Trimming trees and bushes in the fall prepares the plants for harsh winter weather.
- Once trimmed, trees and shrubs benefit from fresh mulch beds. Fortifying your mulch beds in the fall is vital. Mulch beautifies your lawn but it also serves to regulate temperature and moisture around your trees, shrubs and flower beds.
- Loosen compacted soil and mulch – Using a hand rake, loosen compacted soil and mulch especially near the roots of plants and trees. Pay attention to remove mulch from the root flare and plants. Compacted mulch may suffocate roots or trap moisture against otherwise healthy plants.
- Use excess leaves – Mulch beds should be 2-3″ thick heading in the winter. You can add a thin layer of finely mulched leaves under your wood mulch as a cheap and effective way to bolster mulch beds.
- Remove excess mulch – Avoid mulch volcanoes especially around trees. Landscapers rarely remove mulch prior to adding fresh mulch. This results in large piles in the shape of volcanoes around tree trunks. The root flare should be visible at ground level.
Mowing in the Fall is important
- Lower your cutting height – As days shorter and sunlight fades, shorter grass allows the most sun to reach the crown of the grass plants. Cooler autumn temperatures won’t harm the root system like the heat of summer. Lowering your mower’s cutting height incrementally during the fall prevents disease and keeps your lawn greener.
- Continue mowing – Routinely mowing will ease your lawn’s transition into dormancy. Some cool season grass and weeds will continue to grow. Mowing and trimming your lawn will control the weeds. Another benefit is shorter grass is less prone to trap leaves and falling twigs against your lawn.
Repair weak points in your lawn
- After I aerate, fertilize and seed in the fall, I always find a few the weakened areas in the lawn. There are some easy all-in-one mixtures available through local hardware stores and garden centers.
- Patching protects the root systems of the healthy grass around these weak areas during the winters.
Prepare outdoor power equipment for winter storage
- The best way to ensure your lawnmower and other equipment starts each spring is storing properly in the fall.
- After the final mowing of the season, preparing your mower will our customized tune up kits is a great first step.
- Our Winter Service program performs a complete tune up and includes FREE pick up and delivery.
- Our Complete Checklist is our most complete breakdown on draining fuel, prepping engines and cleaning your equipment
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