Fall clean-up and maintenance

When it's time for Fall clean-up and maintenance, these are the things you need to know.

It’s October. The weather in Seattle is still pleasant, but the leaveshave already startedto fall and it’s time to think about fall clean-up and landscape maintenance.

When we speak about fall clean-up, undoubtedly we think about raking leaves. Ever raked a mountain of leaves as a child and then run and jumped in it? Fall clean-up can be a lot of fun, but I have been asked how necessary is it to rake all the leaves and is it, in fact, good for the plants to remove all the leaves that have fallenin September. That often depends on what type of tree and where the leaves are located.

Leaves are an excellent insulator that protects the roots of delicate or new plants. Some leaves, such as oak leaves, are acidic when wet and will kill the grass if left in a pile for too long. Leaves can also stain a walkway and should be cleared before the winter rainy season.

While leaving the leaves on the ground andin your planting bedsmay bea good idea, many of our clients prefer that we rake them up and apply beautiful composted mulch in their place.

This is alsothe time to learn about proper pruning techniques. (See our webpage about garden maintenance and proper pruning .) As plants begin their dormant period, it is important to prune many of them back to ensure that next year’s growth is healthy and they are shaped the way you want them to be after the winter cold.

If you struggle with finding time to care for your landscaping and shrubbery at this time of year or need an expert to ensure your plants are trimmed and pruned correctly, call Environmental Construction. We are able to assist with this important work.

Lawn care is another item on the fall clean-up and maintenance to-do list. This is when many people choose to aerate and fertilize their grass to promote good drainage and stronger root growth prior to the dormant winter months.

While you are raking leaves, pruning your landscape, and preparing the lawn for winter,don't forgetit is also the perfect time of year to think about transplanting plants.

Ask yourself this, ifwecould change the way your garden looks without losing valuable plants, what would you want us to do? I recommend starting this work now, before we loose interest as the winter rains descend upon our homes.

Maintaining a landscape is important for the health of plants and trees and to ensure their on-going beauty and productivity. Please call Environmental Construction and let us help with your fall clean-up and maintenance needs.

Category: Landscape Maintenance