As the weather begins to get colder and the leaves begin to change to vibrant reds, oranges, and golds, you may wonder what needs to be done to prepare your landscape for winter. If you are looking for “landscapers near me” in the Bloomfield, MI, area, with this thought in mind, your next step will be selecting which landscaping company would be the best fit. To make your decision easier, consider what fall services you require and choose a company that offers those services. Here are some of the fall lawn care tasks that many landscapers can take care of for you.
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Fall Cleanup
While the falling leaves are beautiful, they can make your lawn look messy—especially as they begin to turn brown and decay after a rainfall. Having debris removed from your lawn and landscape before winter arrives is a good idea.
Many landscape contractors will use backpack leaf blowers to remove leaves from your lawn so that it looks tidy and clean. They can also take care of perennial maintenance and trim your shrubs to ensure healthy growth in the coming spring. With fall cleanup services, your planting beds and lawn will look tidy.
Lawn Aeration
Many lawn care technicians recommend having your lawn aerated in the fall. With core aeration, plugs of grass and soil are removed from the ground to reduce soil compaction and thatch, and allow the grass root system better access to oxygen, water, and nutrients. Having your lawn aerated prior to a fertilizer treatment and watering will typically ensure the best results.
Fall Fertilization
Many lawn care providers apply a final fertilizer application in the fall, usually between mid-August and late September. Ideally, this happens six to eight weeks before the first frost and often after the mowing season is over. A slow-release fertilizer that is rich in nitrogen and potassium is often used, which helps to strengthen the root system to ensure a healthier and greener lawn in the spring.
Fall can be an excellent time for a fertilizer application because the cooler weather allows the grass time to recover from a hot summer and potentially from a drought-induced dormancy. Dew in the morning helps fertilizer to soak up into the soil. It’s a great time for restoring nutrients for a long winter.
Irrigation System Winterization
If you have an irrigation system, it’s important to have it winterized before it’s too late and the weather has gotten too cold. The freeze-thaw cycle can be hard on a sprinkler system. The last thing you want is for water to freeze within the system and cause damage. It’s a good idea to get on the lawn care company’s schedule in advance so that you don’t miss this important time frame for irrigation system winterization.
During an irrigation system winterization, an irrigation technician will shut down the system, blow out any water, drain the lines, and help with insulation. With this fall service, your sprinkler system will be prepared for winter so that when spring arrives, it can be dewinterized and ready to keep your lawn well-hydrated and green in the springtime.
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