Fall Yard Cleanup & Cut-Downs
Preparing your lawn for winter can mean a healthy lawn come spring, so there are a few things you should add to your autumn to-do list. You’ll want to work on leaf removal, of course, as leaves continue to fall throughout the season. But you’ll also want to work on cut-downs of perennials and bushes, removal of annual plants, core aeration, and overseeding your grass. These tasks are time-consuming but they’re worth it for the healthy lawn you’ll enjoy when spring returns to Minnesota.
Benefits of Fall Yard Cleanup
Taking time to do some fall yard work at home or at your business will keep your lawn green and growing throughout spring and summer. Cleaning leaves from the lawn allows sunlight to reach the grass so it doesn’t get smothered. If leaves are left all winter it could lead to disease, which then translates to sparse, thin grass in the spring.
Applying fertilizer in the fall also promotes a healthier lawn by giving it the nutrients it needs to become lush and full. As an added benefit, a fuller, healthier lawn actually crowds out weeds, ultimately saving you some maintenance time later on. Plus, fall is a good time to work on cut-downs, which involves cutting back any bushes and perennials along with removing annuals.
You’ll want to aerate and overseed your lawn in the fall, too. Aerating allows the ground to better absorb water, air, and nutrients so grass comes back strong and healthy in spring. Overseeding means applying a bit of fresh grass seed on thinner patches of the lawn to refresh older, dying grass.
When Should Fall Yard Maintenance Be Done?
Once the leaves begin to turn, you’ll want to begin thinking about fall yard cleanup. Typically, the timeframe for fall yard work starts about 10 weeks before the first frost comes, but that can vary based on the weather.
Why Leaf Cleanup and Cut-Downs Are Especially Important
The changing fall colors are beautiful, but it’s important to stay on top of leaf removal. Allowing leaves to stay on top of your lawn all winter is actually pretty harmful. It blocks sunlight that grass needs and it can promote disease and limit how much your grass grows in spring. Not only does that mean a less appealing lawn, but it also means there will be more room for weeds to grow.
Performing cut-downs in the fall is another way to ensure your lawn and landscaping are healthy at the as winter arrives. This can include pruning shrubs, bushes, and other perennials so they don’t become overgrown. Pruning and trimming can get rid of any dead limbs and help prevent disease from forming, plus it can promote more blooms on flowering plants during the growing season. You’ll also want to dispose of any annual plants at the end of fall, as annuals don’t come back every year.
How Yard Smart Helps with Fall Cleanup
Preparing your lawn for winter can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. Our team will take care of fall yard maintenance for you, including cleaning out rock beds with a leaf blower, which we’ll then clean up as we bag leaves from the lawn and haul them away for you. We’ll also cut down or trim any hedges or perennials and provide core aeration and overseeding to keep your yard looking its best.
It’s easy to work with us—just let us know you’d like us to take over your fall yard cleanup and we’ll show up automatically to take care of it all. Usually, that means we’ll come out to your house or business once or twice during the season, but we work with each of our customers to create a custom maintenance plan.