Essential Fall Maintenance for a Thriving Lawn & Landscape

As the days grow shorter and the vibrant colors of fall begin to fade, it's time to start thinking about preparing your outdoor spaces for the colder months ahead. Proper fall maintenance not only helps protect your lawn, plants, and patios from the harshness of winter but also sets the stage for a beautiful and healthy landscape come spring. Here’s a comprehensive guide to getting your outdoor spaces ready for the seasonal transition ahead.

Lawn Care

As autumn settles in across eastern Iowa, it's time to prepare your lawn for the challenges ahead. The crisp fall weather provides ideal conditions for crucial maintenance tasks that will help your grass thrive through winter and bounce back strong in spring.

Start by aerating your lawn to relieve soil compaction. This allows essential nutrients, water, and oxygen to reach the grass roots more effectively, thereby strengthening the turf and promoting a thicker, more vigorous lawn. Early fall is generally the best time for aeration, especially if you also plan to overseed, as it’s best to allow approximately 8 weeks for new grass seed to germinate and establish before frost. However, aeration can still be done well into October, and even beyond the first few frosts without fear of doing harm.

Also consider applying a nitrogen-rich fall fertilizer. At Landmark, we use a specialized granular fertilizer with a composition of 33-0-5, featuring a slow-release coating and additional iron. This formula acts like a multivitamin for your lawn, enhancing its resistance to stress and disease while aiding in chlorophyll production for a richer, darker green color.

⚠️CAUTION: Fertilizing during drought conditions - like we are currently experiencing across eastern Iowa - can increase stress to your lawn and even cause burns to the leaf blades. For already stressed lawns, use a light application of fertilizer. Also keep in mind, when using any type of granular fertilizer, the product must be watered in to be effective.   

Throughout the season, regularly rake and remove fallen leaves from your lawn. While autumn foliage is beautiful, a thick layer of leaves can suffocate the grass, trapping moisture and potentially leading to mold and disease.

Finally, continue mowing your lawn until grass growth ceases, but maintain the recommended mowing height of 3-4 inches. This height provides optimal protection for the grass roots during winter while still allowing for proper air circulation. By following these steps, you'll set your lawn up for success, ensuring it remains healthy through the cold season and emerges lush and vibrant in the spring.

Pruning

Proper pruning is a key aspect of fall gardening, but knowing what to cut back - and what to leave alone - can make all the difference for your plants' health.

PERENNIALS & HERBACEOUS PLANTS

For perennials and herbaceous plants, timing is essential. After the first frost has blackened their leaves, cut back plants such as hostas, daylilies, peonies, catmint, yarrow, and phlox. Trim these to a few inches above the ground. This practice not only encourages healthy regrowth in spring but also prevents diseases and pests from overwintering in dead foliage.

SHRUBS

Fall is NOT the time for hard pruning of shrubs for two reasons:

🌸 Many spring-flowering shrubs set their buds for next year's blooms in late summer or early fall. Pruning these shrubs in fall would remove these buds, resulting in fewer or no flowers the following spring.

🌱 Pruning can stimulate new growth, which may not have time to harden off before winter arrives. This tender new growth is highly susceptible to cold damage. Similarly, avoid heavy pruning of evergreen shrubs, as they need their foliage to provide energy throughout the winter.

When it comes to fall pruning of shrubs, remember the 3 D’s: damaged, dead, and diseased. By limiting your fall pruning to only removing damaged, dead, or diseased branches, you'll protect your shrubs from winter damage and ensure a vibrant spring display.

ORNAMENTAL GRASSES

Some plants are best left standing through winter. Ornamental grasses, for instance, provide visual interest and help protect the plant's crown from frost. However, if you prefer to cut back ornamental grasses in the fall, you certainly can. Just be sure not to cut them too close to the ground or you risk exposing the crown of the plant to harsh winter conditions, potentially causing damage from frost and increasing the chance of rot.

📌PRO TIP: When pruning, always start with clean, sharp shears and begin by pruning healthy plants first. Disinfect shears between plants using a solution of 70% isopropyl alcohol or a bleach solution of 1 part bleach to 9 parts water.

After pruning, consider applying an extra layer of mulch around the base of trees, shrubs, and perennials. This mulch acts as a natural insulator, helping to regulate soil temperature and moisture levels while safeguarding roots from freezing temperatures.

And lastly, be sure to give your plants a thorough watering! With the ongoing drought conditions in our area, it's essential to continue watering until the ground freezes. This is especially important for evergreens, as they continue to lose moisture through their needles, even while they're in winter dormancy. Keeping them well-hydrated now will help them thrive through the colder months.

Watering Systems

As part of your fall maintenance routine, it’s essential to winterize your watering systems to prevent damage from freezing temperatures. Start with your irrigation system. To do this, turn off the water supply to the system and drain all the pipes to prevent any remaining water from freezing and causing cracks. You can use an air compressor to blow out the lines, ensuring they are completely dry. This step is crucial, as even small amounts of water can expand and cause serious damage over the winter months.

In addition to your irrigation system, garden hoses also require attention during winterization. Leaving hoses connected to spigots can lead to frozen pipes, which may burst and require costly repairs. So be sure to disconnect all garden hoses from outdoor spigots, and drain any remaining water before coiling them neatly for storage. If possible, store them indoors to protect them from the elements.

Don’t forget about your outdoor spigots. To avoid freezing, turn off the valves leading to your outdoor faucets from inside your home. Open the spigots to allow any remaining water to drain out, and consider using insulated covers to provide an extra layer of protection against the cold.

If you have rain barrels, it’s important to prepare them for winter as well. Start by opening the spigot and draining the barrel completely. Next, remove the downspout that connects the barrel to your gutter system. If the downspout converter leaves a hole, cover it with a winter cap. Before moving the barrel indoors to a garage or shed for storage, clean the inside of the barrel to remove any sediment and prevent the growth of mold and mildew. If you must leave your barrel outdoors, turn it upside down or cover it with a tarp to prevent water from accumulating.

Patios & Walkways

Your patios and walkways also need some attention to stay in great shape during the winter months. Start by cleaning and inspecting these surfaces, sweeping away leaves and debris while checking for cracks or damage that could worsen with the freeze-thaw cycle. Fall is also a great time to consider sealing your paver patio/walkway. The moderate temperatures and low humidity that are more typical of the fall season is optimal for sealer application and curing. Sealers are not only great for protecting surfaces from staining that can occur from falling leaves and accumulation of other organic matter, but sealers can also help prevent moisture absorption, thereby reducing the risk of frost damage.

While you're at it and caring for your outdoor spaces, don’t forget to clean and store your outdoor furniture. This will help protect it from harsh winter weather. If storage space is limited, consider investing in weatherproof covers to keep your furniture in good condition and prolong its lifespan.

In summary, a little effort now can make a significant difference in the health and beauty of your lawn and landscape in the months ahead. As you prepare your lawn and landscape for the winter months, remember that Landmark is here to help. Our comprehensive fall maintenance services include lawn and landscape cleanups, irrigation system winterization, lawn aeration, fertilizer applications and paver cleaning and sealing. Trust us to take care of your lawn and landscape needs so you can enjoy the beauty of the season.

Contact Landmark today to schedule your fall maintenance services!