This is prime time to prep your yard for the next growing season, Cooling temperatures slow above ground growth, and moister soil encourages strong root development. Removing spent stems, dead branches, and heavy leaf cover protects plants' overall health. Read on for the fall checklist.
Aerate the Lawn
A walk-behind aerator that pulls out 2½-to 3-inch-deep soil plugs, which will break down naturally by spring.
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Feed Your Grass
Cutting back on fertilizer in late summer prevents perennials from wasting energy on leaf production. But grass roots keep growing until the ground gets down to around 40 degrees, so this is a good time to feed them. Apply a high-phosphorus (12-25-12) mix to lawns in fall to encourage roots, so turf greens up earlier in spring.
Mow a Final Time
Trim turf down to 1¼ inches for the last cut of the season. Disease has a harder time with shorter grass, and fallen leaves blow across the lawn because they have nothing to latch on to. Don't go too low, though: Grass makes most of its food in the upper blade.
Trim Dead Limbs
Lifeless branches can succumb to winter snow and winds, endangering you and your home.
But you can protect small ornamental trees from further damage by cutting cracked, loose, and diseased limbs close to (but not flush with) the trunk; leave the wounds exposed to heal.
Cut Back Perennials
A little work now results in healthier spring beds: Evict tired annuals, as well as the snails and slugs that feed on them, which breed in fall. Trim spent perennial foliage down to the ground; this sends energy to the roots, for next season. Every three years, divide crowded tuberous plants, like irises and daylilies: More space means more flowers.
