Yard Maintenance Tips for Fall & Winter

When the first leaves of autumn start to fall (as they are now), it’s easy to breathe a sigh of relief and think that the brunt of your yard and landscaping maintenance work is done for the year with summer’s passing. However, you can save yourself a lot of work in the long run by performing proper lawn maintenance for the fall season that will leave your yard in much better shape when spring and summer come next year.

By following the yard maintenance tips for fall and winter listed in this article, you can get your property perfectly positioned in the fall so that you’ll have healthy growth in the future. These techniques cover a wide range of purposes, but utilizing as many as possible will leave your lawn looking better than ever before.

Mowing One Last Time

Don’t give up mowing your lawn when the first leaf falls. It’s actually important to mow your lawn one last time if the weather permits. You’ll may even want to bring the blade down a notch from your last mowing, although you may want to research the specific strain of grass used in your yard. One issue that arises with taller grass in the fall is the trapping of fallen leaves and organic debris which won’t decompose as fast. Another problem arises from moisture. During the summer, your grass needs some height to catch moisture under the midday heat and keep the soil watered and healthy. In the fall and winter, however, moisture trapped in the grass turns from a help to a hindrance. Rather than serving as an important ingredient for soil health, moisture can begin to breed fungus that damages your lawn in the long run.

Overseeding Your Lawn

Overseeding is a process dependent upon having performed thorough yard clean up and having properly mowed your grass one last time.  Spreading new grass seed in dead or dying areas, scalped areas, or areas where the grass it patchy is a great way to rejuvenate your lawn for the next year without investing in a lawn renovation.

Dethatching and Aerating

When you bring out a rake for the leaves falling in your yard, you might want to consider dethatching your lawn too. Performing proper yard clean up in the fall will, like keeping the grass short, help nutrients that can’t quite reach the soil make it where they need to. A regular rake should be sufficient for most jobs, but thatch rakes are a more tailored option if you want to do a premium dethatching job. For particularly tightly packed soil, you may want to consider aerating, a process where your lawn is punctured with a special machine to encourage oxygen and nutrient uptake.

Leaf Cleanup and Removal

Another result of raking the leaves in your yard clean up is the possibility of making a compost pile with the fallen leaves, which will provide a steady resource of nutrients to serve your garden beds in the future. If you want to go beyond using a rake, a mulching mower or a mulching leaf blower can help break down your leaves to make better compost without as long of a process necessary for healthy decay. Regardless, there’s no need to waste the potential benefits that fall leaves actually can bring—as long as you don’t leave them all strewn about your entire lawn.

If you have many trees surrounding your property leaf cleanup can be a real big chore.  Consider calling a team of pro’s like Irreco LLC and we can use our equipment and manpower to make short work of your accumulating leaves.

Trimming Hedges, Shrubs, and Trees

Trimming your plants before winter falls is a crucial part of a yard clean up that will help them with their future health. You always want to keep overgrown areas in check, and dead limbs need to go. You should make trees that are close to your house a priority. Dead branches or limbs left in the winter can fall and cause damage that you won’t want to deal with.  If they are close to your home they can impede your view, and make it easier for rodents or pests to access your home. It’s much better to give any hedges, shrubs or trees a good snip now and save yourself the trouble later.

Removing Organic Debris from Garden Beds

Like with your lawn, failing to clean out garden beds can provide an all-too-attractive place for fungi and bacteria to take root. Taking your rake or even a blower to garden beds and making sure organic debris from the year are gone will leave your beds much healthier for the winter.

Installing Mulch In Your Garden Beds

Mulch is a great way to protect your garden beds during the winter months.  Spreading mulch helps retain moisture, it provides insulation, and even better it provides a very clean, uniform, look to your garden beds.

Blowing Out and Maintaining Irrigation Systems

The last tip is less directly related to your lawn itself than the others and more about the systems you’ll need to deal with your lawn come spring, but it serves as an equally crucial part of landscaping maintenance. You won’t need to use your irrigation throughout the winter, but that doesn’t mean you won’t once the thaw comes. You’ll want to shut off any water flow and remove any water inside of the irrigation piping. This can be easily done with an air compressor, not your run of the mill shop compressor, but an industrial or commercial grade compressor.

This way, you’ll avoid freezing and cracking in irrigation systems due to neglect. It’s best if you check your irrigation a few times throughout the fall and winter and maintain it as necessary, so that there won’t be any need to spend time and money on repairs.

These landscaping maintenance tips might seem like a bit of a long checklist for the “downtime” in the year for lawn maintenance, but these are largely simple tasks that often feed into each other.  By taking this guide to heart, you can ensure that your lawn is in the best condition it can be, and impress all your neighbors when spring and summer finally come.

If you need help with your fall and winter lawn maintenance give Irreco LLC a call (314) 246-0099 or fill out our online contact form and we’ll get right back to you to schedule a consultation for your property.

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Should You Choose Grass Seed Or Sod For Your New Lawn?

Maintaining a lush, green lawn is probably important to you, whether you are a new homeowner or have had your property for a significant length of time. You may have noticed that certain sections of your lawn are not as healthy looking as others or that brown patches have appeared in some places. You may also be planning to install a new lawn to a new property or want to renovate your existing lawn to improve its appearance. Regardless of the project you have in mind, you may quickly find yourself questioning whether you should use grass seed or sod for your new lawn. Fortunately, the tips outlined below will help you make the best choice for your property:

The Difference Between Seed and Sod

Before you can make a decision or understand the pros and cons of the two options, you must familiarize yourself with the difference between sod and seed. Sod is mature turf that has been professionally maintained. It is then transplanted to the area of your choice. This type of project is typically completed by a professional, particularly if you are renovating a large area of your lawn. The first week, sod must be watered rather heavily, so it is important to remember this if sod is what you ultimately choose.

The other option is to plant grass seed, essentially starting from scratch. As its name implies, this simply means you are growing grass from seed, which you can easily plant yourself. If you want to plant seed in an expansive area, however, you may wish to consider hiring a professional as opposed to completing the task as a DIY project because there is a lot of prep work involved in properly grading the property for a new lawn.

Cost Between Sod Or Grass Seed

Cost is obviously a major factor when you are deciding between seed or sod. The most expensive option is sod, as it has been maintained and cared for by someone else for a specific length of time, and usually requires professional installation which is labor intensive. If money is no object, sod is a very good choice.

Seed is an appealing option with regard to cost, as the price of even the highest quality seed mix is still much less than the price of any type of sod. Therefore, if your project is budget driven, seed may be the best choice.

Grass Seed Vs Sod – How Long Does It Take?

Another major factor in the decision-making process is the amount of effort and the length of time associated with growing and maintaining a lawn. As you might already suspect, sod is certainly the best option if you want a beautiful lawn in a very short length of time. This is because sod is virtually an “instant lawn,” and allows you to go from plain dirt to lush grass in a day or so. For example, if you are planning an outdoor party or event where it is critical to have a nice property in a very short length of time, sod is a great choice.

The time of year sod is planted is also an aspect to which thought must be given. This is because the speed of rooting varies with each season, and rooting is crucial to the sod’s health and longevity. Spring and fall are ideal times to lay sod, although if water is available it can be installed at any time so long as the ground is not frozen.

Nevertheless, even with adequate water, it may not root as well during extremely hot or cold temperatures as it would during autumn or spring.

Obviously, growing a lush, dense lawn takes a bit longer if you use seed, as the latter must have time to grow. If you have ample time to take care of the lawn and can wait until the optimum growing season, which is early fall, seed is worth considering. However, growing your own grass requires a significant amount of time and attention, as well as continuous watering. If time is not much of a factor, seed is not a bad choice.

Grass Seed Or Sod – Which Is Better Quality?

Some lawn experts are of the opinion that sod creates the best lawn, while others believe that seed is the optimum way to establish a dense, green lawn, even though it is the slower option.

Not surprisingly, a strong root system at the beginning of your project increases your chances of having a healthier lawn as time goes on, and seed may edge out sod in this regard. This is because sod is transplanted, and therefore must take root again in a new environment. Nevertheless, seeding has its frustrations as well. For example, re-seeding may be necessary if germination does not occur in certain spots or the seed is washed away by rain or other elements.

A Word About Your Soil Conditions

Finally, it is important to understand that soil is a vital component of a thriving lawn, whether you choose seed or sod. This is because a strong root system is essential to the development of a healthy, robust lawn. For this reason, investing in a high quality soil and devoting some time and effort to soil preparation almost always increases your odds of success.

As you can see, there are advantages and disadvantages associated with each option, and your decision is ultimately a matter of personal preference and budget. Fortunately, however, whether you use grass seed or sod for your new lawn, if you dedicate the appropriate amount of time and effort to the task, a lush, beautiful landscape can be yours.

If you’d like to schedule a consultation to discuss the install of your new lawn using seed or sod please give us a call (314) 246-0099 or fill out our online contact form and we’ll get right back to you.

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