Well, it’s that time of year when all the shade is gone. Well, not exactly – it’s all on the ground, now. And, it’s in your pool, and on your deck, and all over your patio. When those beautiful Fall leaves hit the ground, they aren’t so pretty any more, are they?
Chesapeake lawncare providers are busier than ever this time of year, doing fall yard cleanup for their customers. But, why is that so important? If you’re not using your garden, or outside enjoying your pool or water feature, then you’re done with yard work.
WINTERIZING
But, it’s not as simple as that. If you have any kind of water feature, you need your landscaper to winterize for you. It’s not any fun at all to discover that the pump for your water fall has cracked, and must be replaced. It’s the same with your swimming pool and koi pond. Any water feature should be thoroughly serviced by your landscaper. Mechanical features should be pumped dry and sealed, and surfaces normally covered with water should be prepared for cold weather.
ROTTING VEGETATION
Fall yard cleanup may be an inconvenience, but in many cases, it’s a necessity. When your water features are winterized, the mechanics and structures are safe from cold weather. But, the leaves and broken twigs that fall from your trees and shrubs can accumulate and rot in those wet areas. This will also hold moisture against your pool cover, causing it to rot as well. Your patio and deck can be stained by rotted vegetation – not to mention the smell on those warm days when you venture out onto the deck for coffee. Get your Chesapeake landscaper to do your fall yard cleanup so that you won’t have rotting leaves and broken branches all over the place.
PRUNING
Fall is also an important time to prune many of your shrubs. Rose bushes, especially, benefit from a close pruning in the late Fall. To put off pruning means that many of your shrubs will require pruning during the Spring growth spurt – not always a good idea for new growth.
LAWN CARE
Allowing leaves and twigs to accumulate on your lawn can actually damage it. An accumulation of leaves will block moisture from the grass for a period of time, causing it to suffer from a mini-drought. Then, the leaves will gradually rot. This pulls valuable minerals from the grass and soil, leaving the grass weakened. Even as it goes dormant, the soil will not rest because of the nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus are being leached out by the rotting leaves. This also allows fungi to grow in your lawn grasses, and in the Spring, insects will have a wonderful time nesting in the debris.
Fall yard cleanup is never fun. So, call your landscaper to do it for you. He can haul of the debris from pruning and Fall defoliation, and plant Winter color so that you have a beautiful garden all winter.