5 Tasks That Must Be On Your Fall Landscaping Checklist

It can be somewhat heartbreaking to have to say goodbye to the summer season – especially if you’re active with your landscape (and let’s be honest, what homeowner isn’t?). The summer is prime landscaping time and is a great way to show off your lawn and garden.

So as the air starts to get more brisk and the sun starts to set earlier and earlier, it’s time for us to face the music: Fall is just about here! And without the right kind of preparation, your landscape can suffer. That’s why we here at Bonza decided to highlight these 5 tasks in hopes that they’ll be added to every landscape lover’s fall checklist. Take a look!

1. Aerate the lawn

Aerating your lawn is absolutely necessary for preventing rainfall pools on your grass. Focus on aerating compressed soil so that water and nutrients fully reach the roots. Garden forks work well on smaller lawns, but for a large lawn, consider a walk-behind aerator.

2. Give your grass the good stuff

It’s common knowledge to cut back on fertilizer in the late summer months to prevent perennials from wasted energy on leaf production. But grass roots will keep on growing until cold temperatures really kick in. Feed these roots with a high-phosphorus mix to lawns in the fall – this will help your lawn get greener in the spring. We recommend a 12-25-12 mix.

3. Mow the grass one last time

Shoot for a length of 1 and a quarter inches for your lawn when you mow. Fallen leaves will have a tougher time latching onto short grass, and short grass is good at avoiding disease. Just try to avoid any tears as you say goodbye to your lawnmower for the fall/winter months!

4. Trim dead limbs

We recommend you call us to help with this task if you have a number of big trees on your property, but for smaller trees get some clippers and cut off cracked, loose, and diseased limbs close to the trunk. If not trimmed, these limbs can cause damage to your home in high winds.

5. Develop a plan for collecting leaves

Gathering up leaves can be a fun activity with you and the family. However, if you’re looking to mine something helpful from your leaf piles, invest in a compost bin and keep a steady leaf pile. Flip the pile every week with a garden fork in order to aerate. Composting will provide all-natural fertilizer that will do wonders for your garden in the spring and summer.

Have any questions? Feel free to email us or give us a call. We here at Bonza Landscaping can always help winterize your landscape or answer any questions you might have about doing it yourself. Good luck!