Leaf removal is probably the first thing people think of when we talk about fall lawn care, because it’s the most visual part of the season. But that’s really only one piece of the puzzle.
If you’re looking for leaf removal in Kansas City, don’t forget to consider the other important aspects of fall lawn maintenance: including lawn aeration, pest control, and fertilizing. Making sure you follow all of the steps to proper fall maintenance guarantees that your lawn will survive the winter and thrive in the spring.
The team at Lifestyle Outdoor are experts in HOA lawn maintenance in Johnson County and are ready to help you stay on top of your fall lawn care schedule and all your winterization needs. We cover everything from leaf removal to late season fertilization, answering all your questions about the most important parts of lawn maintenance in the fall.
Step 1: Lawn Aeration
We don’t want to say aerating your lawn annually is the best thing you can do to improve your lawn’s health and vibrancy. But we also do want to say that, because it’s kind of true. The healthiest lawns we see are ones that receive regular aeration.
Lawn aeration is especially important in places like Kansas City where we have hard, compacted clay soil. By aerating your lawn at the beginning of the fall, you make your fertilizing treatments and irrigation more effective by providing direct access to the root systems through the holes that aeration creates.
Aeration can be especially helpful if you’ve found you need to reseed your lawn in the early fall. Just be sure to aerate before you lay down the seed!
Step 2: Fertilizing
A lot of people wonder when to fertilize their lawn in the fall. Fertilizing in the spring feels intuitive, because that’s when plants are growing so it makes sense that they would need the extra fuel and nutrients.
Feeding your lawn in the fall is just as important, if not more so, because it helps your lawn recover from summer damage and prepare for the coming winter.
Here in Kansas we have cool season grasses that are able to metabolize and store nutrients as winter approaches. You should plan to provide 75% of your lawn’s nutrients in the fall right before your lawn goes dormant. Your grass will store the fertilizer in the root system and use it when it’s time to start growing again in the spring.
Picking the best fall fertilizer
The best fertilizer to apply in the late fall is one with a ratio of 13-25-12. Understanding fertilizer labels doesn’t have to be intimidating; it’s just a breakdown of the levels of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium in that order.
Choosing a fertilizer with a higher phosphate count stimulates root growth, and helps the grass resist disease and drought.
Trees and shrubs need different amounts of fertilizer depending on the plant type and location. At Lifestyle Outdoor we love to treat trees with a special compost tea, or as we like to call it, Arbor Brew. It’s an organic fertilizer that we deep root for trees and shrubs as part of our arbor care services
Step 3: Mowing
A lot of people stop mowing their lawns much sooner than they actually should. You should keep mowing until your grass has actually gone dormant for the season and stopped growing.
During the fall, you should be mowing your lawn lower than you would in the spring or summer. Typically grass should be kept at about 3 inches, but you want to get it down to 1 to 2 inches lower than that before the first frost.
If you leave your grass too long, it can be susceptible to damage after it freezes. When the grass is long, even when it’s frozen, foot traffic (from humans or deer) can break and damage the plant tissue.
Cutting the grass low also encourages the plant to go dormant and prepare for winter.
Step 4: Irrigation
At Lifestyle Outdoor we are big proponents of the benefits of quality lawn irrigation. Some people mistakenly stop watering their lawns way too early in the season, leading to all kinds of lawn problems.
Here in the midwest, our lawns experience a lot of extreme weather changes. Drought is one of the most devastating things for a lawn, even during winter.
You should be watering your lawn up until it goes dormant, and sometimes even after if we’re having an especially dry winter. Of course, if temperatures are staying consistently below freezing, there’s no need to water because it will freeze.
Lawns certainly don’t require as much water in the cooler months as they do in the spring and summer, but you should only reduce the amount of water, not stop it completely until the plant has stopped growing actively for the year.
After the plant has gone dormant and the first frost has arrived, it’s time to winterize your irrigation system. This prevents damage to your system and ensures that it will work properly when spring comes around.
Maintaining the irrigation system in your HOA is an important aspect of making sure sprinklers, drainage, and water conservation are always working optimally
Step 5: Pest Control
Pest control feels like an obvious maintenance routine in the warmer months, when mosquitoes are active. But pests prepare for winter just like we do. They’re laying eggs that will hatch in the spring. Some of them are even moving indoors to escape the winter cold.
At Lifestyle Outdoor we treat yards for mosquitoes all the way through October to make sure they stay gone and don’t have a resurgence in the spring. When you are dealing with the health and safety of your entire HOA community, pest control is not something to take lightly.
You should be prioritizing pest control year round. There are 3 ways to control for pests:
Mechanical
The use of traps, like bug zappers or sticky traps, fall under mechanical pest control and are utilized when the pests are already present.
Chemical
Using sprays to get rid of pests and prevent new ones from showing up, is part of chemical pest control. Lifestyle Outdoor prioritizes using safer insecticides for your neighborhood. We have the experience and attention to detail necessary to ensure we’re applying insecticides that are both effective and safe for your family and the environment.
Sanitary
Pests love messes, so it’s important to make sure your house is clean and free of yard waste, leaves, and garbage.
Another important step for fall pest control is checking the buildings on your property for cracks and crevices and making sure those are sealed up to prevent any uninvited house guests.
Step 6: Leaf Removal
Leaf removal in Kansas City is especially necessary in all our neighborhoods with the big beautiful trees. The leaves may be pretty for a while, but once they’re on the ground they can start leading to a number of lawn problems.
Leaf pick up is not just about making sure your HOA lawns look good, it’s also about keeping your lawns fresh and strong.
Decomposing leaf matter is the perfect home for pests. Pests will overwinter in leaf cover and then emerge in the spring. Pests like snakes and spiders especially love to hide in leaves, increasing your chances of encountering dangerous pests.
Leaf build up can also lead to things like thatch, which prevents water and nutrients from getting to the plants. It also creates the perfect environment for things like mold and fungus to flourish, which are hazardous to you and your family’s health.
To avoid problems associated with leaves in your hard, it’s important to schedule leaf removal during the fall. Lifestyle Outdoor is available for leaf removal in Kansas City, as well as your other fall lawn care needs.
A Few More Fall Lawn Care Tips
Don’t forget to store your lawn furniture and put your grill away for the season too! This will protect them from the elements.
It’s also a great time to clean up your yard tools before putting them away. It will help maintain their effectiveness in the coming season by preventing rust. Be sure to empty the gas from your mower as well once you’re done mowing for the season!
While you’re hanging your holiday lights, it’s a good time to clean out your gutters. Especially if you’re already on the ladder anyway.
Or you can just let the experts at Lifestyle Outdoor handle all your fall lawn maintenance needs, we go beyond just leaf removal in Kansas City.
Our team are experts in lawn maintenance in Johnson County and the surrounding areas. We specialize in HOAs, building customized plans to fit each HOAs unique vision. Everything from irrigation to arbor care, we know how to handle it.
We do a customized care program designed for every property. This includes a yearly comprehensive analysis to evaluate how your lawn is growing, the light and soil conditions, nutrient levels, root competition, air movement, and more!
Ready to see the difference that THE white-glove service with a green thumb can make for your HOA landscaping this fall? Request a site visit or use our online quote tool to get started today.