Fall Cleanup Tips and Tricks
Get Your Fall Cleanup Done Before It’s Too Late!
Between October and December temperatures start to drop in Yreka and Ashland. As the temperature drops we should start preparing our homes for the winter. Yards need to be cleaned, gutters should be checked for debris, and bushes and flowers need to be pruned. People think that yard clean up can wait till spring, but this is one chore that should NOT be put off. Yard landscaping does NOT begin in the spring time, the absolute best time to prep your yard for next year is during the fall! We at Atlas Cedar Landscaping would like to offer some tips and trick to help homeowners with their fall clean up.
Every October, as the temperatures start to drop, homeowners in Muskego, Waukesha and the surrounding areas of Wisconsin begin to prepare their homes for the approaching winter. Therefore, furnaces need to be cleaned, storm windows and doors should be installed and gutters should be checked for debris. Many think that yard clean-up can wait until spring, this is one chore that should NOT be put off. Yard landscaping doesn’t begin in spring – the best time to prepare your lawn and landscape for next year is right now! Contrary to popular belief, yard landscaping for next spring does not start next spring, but rather, the best time to prepare your lawn and landscape for next year is right now. Legacy Landscaping, LLC, a professional Wisconsin landscaping company, would like to offer homeowners a few tips to help with their fall landscape clean-up.
1. Clean your yard
Piles of wet leaves and weeds can not only lead to your grass dying and growing diseases it is also the best place for pests to live in during the winter. You must also clear out your flower beds as a lot of foliage can foster disease over the cold and wet winters.
2. Prune your bushes and trees!
You must trim up your dead and damaged branches you didn’t get to in the summer time. You want your yard to not only look clean when it comes to winter and spring, you also want to keep branches breaking and falling during snow fall.
3. Clean those gutters!!
Gutter cleaning is a VERY important thing a lot of people overlook. You want your gutters to have proper drainage during wet days. If they do not it could lead for rot and your house being damaged. Check for proper drainage, clear out any blockages with a small garden trowel, and rinse with a hose.
4. Make sure everything is dry!
Drain all water from hoses, fountains, drip irrigation systems, and other water features, and store them in a dry place. Water left in these utilities will make their pipes burst and you will not be happy.
5. Aerate the lawn
Break up soil to keep water from pooling and guarantee that nutrients will reach the roots over the winter. A garden fork will do the job for small yards, but larger yards may require a walk-behind aerator, which should be available to rent for a reasonable price.
6. Feed your lawn just like a bear before it hibernates.
Your lawn needs food just like everything else that lives. Make sure you feed it before winter so it can survive the long cold sleep. Adding a lawn fertilizer with high phosphorous will help root growth and you will enjoy an amazing lawn come spring!
7. Plant bulbs, shrubs, and fall annuals
Some plants do best when planted in the fall. If you want to add new shrubs or spring bulbs like hyacinth, now is the time to get them in the ground. Fall annuals like pansies are also a great addition to keep some color in your yard as other plants go to sleep.
8. Clean tools and store them
Don’t throw your gardening tools in the shed and forget about them until spring. Take time to give them a good cleaning and add a light coat of oil—such as linseed oil or even vegetable oil—to prevent rust during the cold season.5
If you follow this checklist you’re bound to have a wonderfully winterized yard that will be ready to wow you with lush, green bounty once the warm weather returns.
