 To rake or not to rake - this is an important question for homeowners who have trees in their yards that shed leaves during the autumn months. This is a question that has many different answers. Consider for yourself some of the arguments we have listed below regarding the chore of raking or not raking fallen leaves. Perhaps these tips will help you decide which answer is best for you and for your own surrounding landscape.
Traditionally, many people spend their autumn and early winter weekends raking, collecting, bagging, and dragging off their fallen leaves for proper disposal. For some, they do this annually in order to provide their lawn with the best possible care because the thought is that the fallen leaves will smother the underlying grasses if the leaves are left there for an extended amount of time. Other people remove their fallen leaves because they strive for a perfectly clean and crisp appearance on their lawn. Whether you rake leaves off your yard for the health of your grass or for aesthetic reasons, the choice is yours, if you wish to continue to rake, collect, bag, and drag your leaves away.
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 Finally, the long, hot days of summer are beginning to cool and the leaves are starting to turn. For many of us, this past summer was extraordinarily hot and dry. Many people experienced high water bills as they made the attempt to keep their lawns quenched and free from drying out too badly. Even though the days are now becoming a bit cooler, the best advice is to not completely stop the watering process…just yet.
As many people who live within the southern part of the United States already know, just because the calendar says “Autumn”, the thermometer may still be saying “Summer”. Lawn experts generally agree that property owners should continue to water their lawns well into late fall. In fact, in areas that receive very little precipitation, say an inch or less during a week’s time span, then you may need to continue watering throughout the winter months, as well. Most lawns, especially warm weather grasses, require moisture on a year-round basis. In the cooler months, even though your lawn will not require quite as much water as it does in the extreme heat conditions, it will remain “thirsty” and require some water all the time. The best practice is to monitor your grass on a regular basis and water as needed throughout the fall and winter seasons.  September is the perfect time of year to pay a little extra attention to your lawn and prepare it for a cool season ahead. The long days of intense heat are slowly coming to an end and cooler days are just around the corner. It’s easy to fall under the notion that the arrival of fall means no more yard work, but the truth is, that this is the perfect time of year to perform certain lawn care activities. If you engage in just a few lawn care activities now, your lawn will reward you in the Spring with a rich green color and healthy growing grass blades. Below we have listed some fall lawn care tips that help provide such a promising environment.
A couple of things that are important to do are to continue mowing and watering your lawn as needed. Often, more rainfall occurs in the fall than in the summer, so you will need to decide when to water your lawn based on local weather conditions. As you draw closer to the last one or two mowing jobs of the year, cut the grass a little lower than you have throughout the hot summer months. When you leave your grass cut short throughout the dormant winter months, the sunlight can easily penetrate the crown of the grass. Also, the shorter the grass blades, the less amount of grass that can turn brown during the winter months.  Most people probably think of planting things during the typical growing season of Spring, but did you know that there are some plants, shrubs, and trees that can add beauty and character to your yard in the Fall, too? The only trick you need to know is which particular plants to pick that will provide you with quite the treat throughout the drab-looking winter and the upcoming new year.
One way to treat yourself when you are deciding which plants to purchase is to look for the end-of-season sales. Towards the end of the summer and into the fall, many garden-supply stores will have sales, as they make room for things like Christmas cacti, Christmas trees, and poinsettias. You can pick up some great deals on things like perennials, which can have a long-growing life especially in the southern areas like Alabama, where the temperatures never really get too cold. It is also a great time to buy bulbs, shrubs, and fruit trees. Fruit and nut trees can be especially good to plant now, before the temperatures do take a little dip. Planting now will give the trees some time to develop a root system, and they will be ready to really bloom in the coming spring. Some examples of trees that are good choices are pecan trees, peach trees, apple trees, and walnut trees.  It is that time of year again, when the weather starts to change. The daylight is shortened and the temperature begins to decrease a little bit. The temperature is not the only thing that is falling, though. The leaves are starting to fall from the trees covering yards. Yards with a lot of trees can be completely covered, just like a blanket of snow. You may wonder if it is really necessary to rid your own yard of these fallen leaves. After all, it can be a beautiful scene with leaves scattered all over the grass, bringing back memories of all the fun you’ve had walking through thick patches of leaves or jumping into a large pile of them. However, in order to protect the life of your grass, it is necessary to remove the fallen leaves eventually.
Within the next month or two, all of the leaves should have fallen from the trees, and homeowners should begin the process of removing the decaying leaves off of the grass. There are many reasons why leaves should not be left lying on the grass throughout the wintertime. Fallen leaves create a barrier that prevents the grass from receiving essential sunlight and inhibits the “breathing” ability of the grass blades. When layers of grass become wet, they create a perfect environment for mold to grow and insects to gather, as they look for a place to build their homes. Other yard diseases that thrive in damp environments are brown patch and snow mold. Grass diseases are often easier to prevent than to treat; therefore, you are more likely to prevent diseases by removing piles of leaves off of your grass. |
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