With Fall upon us, it is only a matter of time before the temperature starts dropping rapidly across most of the country and leaves begin to fall, covering streets and yards and your grass begins to turn yellow. It is easy to see this as the end of the yard-work season, but, did you know that there are things that can be done to preserve the health of your trees and lawns, and to prepare them for the intensity of Winter and give them a step ahead for when Spring comes around? Fall is one of the most important times of the year for your yard and what you do in the next few weeks can determine just how well your yard handles the coming Winter months. In this blog post, I’ll go over seven different things you can do before the season hits full-swing to protect and prepare your yard.
Over the length of the year, a yard that isn’t regularly aerated by the time Fall arrives can become a dense, nutrient-lacking plot of dirt under the grass that does more harm than good (typically caused by people or animals constantly walking over it, heavy rainfall, ice and/or snow). By aerating your lawn, you puncture thousands of holes into your plot which can allow the dirt to breathe, grass roots to grow, and for rain and fertilizer to reach deeper beneath the soil, to the more inaccessible parts of your yard’s root system. This results in healthier lawns and trees by the time Spring rolls around again, as the water and fertilizer gets safely deposited to the roots directly over the course of the cool months. That being said, not all regions across the country experience Fall in the same way.
Particularly, areas across the Southern regions of the nation will find that aeration works best for them in the spring before the heavy rains hit, whereas for the Fall, it is more the northern lawns that best benefit from aeration before the snow has a chance to coat everything.
Not sure if your lawn needs it? Try pushing a screwdriver into the soil. If it’s hard to push in more than a couple of inches, your soil is likely compacted and ready for aeration. For the best results, aerate when the soil is moist but not soggy.
Throughout the year, people can mow their lawns at various sizes depending on the weather conditions of the year and how fast their grass has historically grown before. For the Fall, cutting your grass near three inches before the season fully hits can protect your lawn from the dangers of cold weather, specifically for the Northern half of the country. Those in the Southern half will find that mowing their lawn closer to 1.5-2” handles the winter better. Why the difference? Grass species! Different grasses grow in different environments, and each one has its own unique length that best works with the environment it thrives in, protecting it from different diseases, fungi and cold rot that could otherwise severely damage a yard.
Keep mowing until your grass stops growing, which is usually after the first hard frost, and try to lower your mower blade gradually over a few cuts rather than all at once. A good rule of thumb is to never remove more than one-third of the grass blade in a single mow.
Just as this is a great blog for preparing for the season, Fall is a great time to prepare your tree’s branches for Winter’s snow. If your area experiences strong winds and/or heavy snowfall during the colder months, requesting a professional certified arborist to inspect your property for dangerous or weak limbs is a perfect Fall task. Our team will be able to identify hazardous limbs and remove them (or if they’re only weak and you’d like to save them, we attach cabling or bracing to support them throughout the winter). Fall is also the easiest time to spot these problems. Once the leaves drop, a tree’s structure is on full display, making cracks, dead wood, and weak branch unions much easier to see.
Why is this important? Weak, dying, dead or damaged limbs (especially those higher up along the tree) can pose significant risks for you and your family. Falling limbs have a bad record of severely damaging houses, vehicles, hitting live power lines (which can pose a fire and shock risk), and worst of all: hitting people. By having all of your trees checked before the environment turns dangerous, you can save yourself from costly damages.
The Autumn season is a perfect time to get your trees and shrubs fertilized, helping shore up any nutritional deficiencies afflicting them before Winter’s chill arrives. Trees in your yard don’t have the same advantage as trees in a forest, where fallen leaves break down and feed the soil year after year. Watch for signs that your trees may be hungry, like pale or yellowing leaves, smaller leaves than usual, early leaf drop, or slow growth.
Joshua Tree Experts can assist you with this often forgotten but important Fall step by using their proprietary blend of fertilizer, which can be injected deep into the root system or scattered over the ground, to both prepare your trees and shrubs for the Winter while also keeping them healthy for the Spring.
Just like the Spring is a great time to mulch your plants to protect them from the Summer heat and lock in moisture, mulching again in the Fall is a great time to insulate your plants from the Winter’s freeze. However, it is important to note that you do not want to mulch too early. Soil takes longer than the air around it to cool down as we approach Winter, so wait until the soil starts freezing near you before applying mulch to lock in the necessary moisture and insulate the ground. If you accidentally mulch too soon, the increased coverage can create a risky environment for the plants you’re mulching as they will continue to grow under the continued warmth of the mulch, unaware of the coming cold that they are meant to prepare for.
How you mulch matters just as much as when. Here are some tips about mulching:
Some areas during the country experience dry spells during the Winter, which leads to lawns and trees receiving insufficient moisture, resulting in a dry freeze. This dry freeze can damage the cells of your plants and result in a weaker comeback in the Spring. By keeping your lawn regularly watered before the ground freezes, you can lock in moisture and the existing water can freeze around the plant, resulting in a secondary insulator to protect the plants from the cooler temps (especially when paired with the mulch from tip 5)! When you pair this with the aeration of tip number one, it can result in a well-watered and nutrient-rich environment for your plants to thrive in under the stress of winter dormancy.
Focus your watering on newly planted trees and evergreens, which are the most at risk of winter damage. Water slowly at the base of the tree so it soaks deep into the root zone instead of running off, and remember to disconnect and drain your hoses before the first hard freeze.
Spring gets all the attention, but Fall is oftentimes a better time to plant. The air is cool, which means less stress on new leaves. The soil is still warm, which means roots can keep growing and settle in before the ground freezes (especially when paired with the extra tips above). Fall-planted trees also tend to need less watering the following summer, since their roots have had extra time to get established. Try to plant at least six weeks before your area's first hard freeze.
A few tips to give new trees the best start:
If you’re unsure about what types of trees would work best on your property and survive the Winter, our ISA-certified arborists will be able to provide suggestions that will work for you and your yard.
All seven of these tips work independently to help prepare your lawn and trees for the cooling Fall, but like all things, work best when utilized in tandem with each other. Every yard is different, and the right plan depends on your trees, your soil, and your local climate. In addition to these seven tips, Joshua Tree Experts offer specialized Fall treatment plans to help give your yards the extra boost they need. If you’re curious, reach out to your local Joshua Tree Experts for a free evaluation today!