As much as we all enjoy the Spring and Summer season, it's important to acknowledge the change of season and get our yards ready for Fall. Here is a checklist of landscaping recommendations for Fall season:

1. Aerate the Lawn
It's time to aerate compressed soil so water and nutrients can reach the roots. A landscaping company can use a walk-behind aerator that pulls out about 3 inch deep soil plugs. During Spring, those plugs break down naturally.

2. Feed Your Grass
Although cutting back on fertilizers towards the end of summer is recommended, grass roots keep growing until the ground gets down to around 40 degrees, so this is a good time to feed them. A landscaping company can apply a high-phosphorus mix to lawns in fall to encourage roots, so turf greens up earlier in spring.

3. Mow the Grass 
It is important to cut the grass low during the Fall season. Short grass has better immunity against diseases, and also does better with fallen leaves because they have nothing to get stuck on. Make sure that grass is not cut too short though, grass makes best of its nutrients in the upper part. 

Hiring a landscaper is essential whether you are looking for a one time project or ongoing lawn maintenance. The time saved doing research, buying material, and experimenting with your yard, is alone enough to seriously considering hiring a landscaper. Not to mention, the cost saving of trial and error that might come up with new projects. Grass cutting and maintenance is actually one of the lowest priced services a lawn care company offers. Buying a high quality lawn mower and committing to mowing your lawn on weekly basis is a lot harder than it seems. Most people only have free time on weekends; so that means you are dedicating a weekend morning every week for grass cutting! Do not be shy to call around to get few estimates from landscaping companies and see what services they offer and what comes with their basic grass cutting service. While gardening and planting around the house is a fun one time project for the whole family to get together and enjoy, more complex landscaping projects such as mowing, edging, gutter cleaning, tree removal, etc are best left for professionals. 

​1. Clean your lawn
The first step of getting your lawn ready for Spring is to simply clean the area first. Using a blow dryer is an easy way to do it. Removing leaves and debris after a long winter is a must to prepare your lawn and prevent dirt from getting trapped in lawn mowers or interfere in the absorption of grass fertilizer once applied. 

2. Apply a fertilizer and a weed killer
The second step is to apply a fertilizer to feed and nourish your grass. You will also need to apply a pre-emergent to prevent the growth of weed. Skipping this step might leave you dealing with unwanted weed all year long. It is important to repeat the application of a fertilizer and weed killer 6 to 8 weeks after the initial application to insure the growth of healthy grass. 

3. Mow early in the season and mow often!
One of the biggest mistakes made by home owners in mowing their lawn once per week or once every two weeks. Letting the grass grow long before cutting it, hurts the roots and doesn't aid in healthy growth. It is important to mow lawns once every 4 to 5 days during the beginning of season and then once weekly after the first 6 weeks. 

4. Choose a good heavy mulch
Once you have your lawn ready and cleaned, it's time to replace mulch.  Using hardwood bark mulches over ground wood chips that have been dyed brown is better for your grass and lasts longer. 

5. Trim your trees
It is very important to prune trees once every three years to avoid any injuries or property damage from broken branches. The best way to check on the health of a tree is to go up on it and closely check on the health of the tree branches. It is best to do it before any leaves grow to have a better view of the branches. Hiring a tree trimmer to do a safety prune is a step that should not be skipped. 

6. Seeding should not be done before Fall
The last step to remember is seeding your lawn in the right season. It might be tempting to fill in those brown patches in your lawn by seeding them. However, if you applied a weed killer, then those seeds won't grow or emerge. If the patches are big and annoying, the best way to go about it is to apply more sod. ​