Most people tend to think that spring and summer are the most important seasons for landscape care, but in fact, fall is actually the most important time. During autumn, your landscape starts to transition into dormancy and store up energy for the upcoming cold months. Aerating, seeding, and fertilizing your lawn in the fall is pertinent to its survival during winter.

Here are some tips on how to prepare your landscaping for cooler weather in Gresham, Happy Valley, Troutdale, and nearby areas.

Perform Aeration & Seeding for Your Lawn

Before entering winter dormancy, your lawn goes into storage mode, gathering as much food as possible to sustain itself throughout the winter. Aeration loosens dry, compacted soil and provides access for light, water, and nutrients to reach deep down into the root system. Providing this access to your lawn’s roots is vital to ensuring it receives the proper amount of nutrition it needs to store up energy for the upcoming dormant period. After aerating, follow up with seeding and fertilization for the greatest benefit. The seeds you lay down now will take root during the winter and grow in thick and lush come spring, and fall fertilization will provide the nutrients they need to remain healthy all winter long.

Fertilize Your Lawn in Fall

Applying fertilizer to a Gresham, OR lawn in fall.

Fertilizing your lawn in fall is key to providing your grass with the essential nutrients it needs to sustain itself during its period of winter dormancy. These nutrients fuel your grass throughout winter, creating a thicker, stronger, and healthier lawn once it grows back. If your lawn does not have appropriate access to nutrients, it faces the risk of starving and dying out by spring. Fall fertilization feeds your lawn’s root system and creates a denser, stronger network of roots which leads to a healthier and much greener lawn.

Even though your lawn doesn’t grow during the fall and winter, fertilization is still important to keep the roots well-fed throughout the harsh winter months.

Remove Dead, Overgrown Branches with Trimming & Pruning

Fall is the best time to trim your trees, shrubs, and other landscape plants to tidy them up before the cold weather sets in. Trimming removes any dead, dying, and overgrown branches and prevents diseases from developing and spreading throughout your landscape. Certain plants like perennials and some fruit trees, require winter pruning to stimulate spring growth and encourage greater bud and fruit production during the growing season. Making sure your plants are tidily trimmed and pruned will ensure they are protected from the winter cold and will grow stronger than ever when spring returns.

Schedule a Fall Yard Cleanup

Fall leaf cleanup from a path at a Gresham, OR home.

Many companies offer the aforementioned services in one convenient package known as a fall yard cleanup. These fall cleanups typically include leaf and debris removal, weeding, trimming and pruning, and mulch installation. Scheduling a fall cleanup for your landscape provides it with everything it needs to survive the winter in peak health.

Leaf removal is one of the most important services offered in a fall cleanup as it removes the blanket of dead, rotting leaves that have accumulated on top of your lawn and landscape. If left to sit there, the leaves will attract pests, encourage mold and other fungal growth, and suffocate your lawn. Removing these leaves is essential to making sure your grass receives proper access to light, water, and air.

Winterize Your Sprinkler System

Your sprinkler system may not be a plant, but it’s still a very important part of your landscape. If not prepared properly, the harsh winter cold can destroy your irrigation system, making it unusable in spring. Winterizing your system is crucial to protecting it from winter frost and preventing ice from cracking and bursting your sprinkler heads, pipes, and valves. Preparing your irrigation system with proper winterization prevents damage and saves you a costly repair bill.

Prepare your landscaping for winter with our lawn and landscape services.

With winter just around the corner, now is the time to start preparing your landscape for the cold weather imminent. At J&C Lawn Care, we provide quality lawn and landscaping services for clients in Gresham, Happy Valley, Troutdale, and nearby areas. Call us today at (971) 284-2035 to begin prepping your lawn for the upcoming winter months.