Helpful Information

Summer has had its heated say-so and now fall anxiously awaits its turn with nature. With fall’s balmy days and cool nights, lawn grass relaxes its exuberant summer growth and prepares for the dormant winter months.

Tired of the blistering bi-weekly mowings, most homeowners welcome the repose of the lawn’s slower growth. The dormant grass may take a winter holiday but its root system certainly does not. During the fall and winter months, your turf roots are alive and well and continue to need watering, feeding and maintenance. Addressing these tasks ensures a healthy green lawn in the spring and summer.

Let’s Not “Leave” This Alone

Ah, those pesky leaves! Abundant in the Tallahassee area grows trees that have a great time shedding their million leaves everywhere. Yes, we love the green skyline but not the pile up of fall leaves. So, what if we just leave the leaves (pardon the pun) on the ground and clean them up in the spring when the grass wakes up to spring?

Not a good idea. A blanket of leaves covering the turf will trap moisture between the soil and the leaves providing an ideal environment for the proliferation of pathogens such as large bare patches (rhizoctonia) and other diseases most prominent with the moderate temperatures of fall. Leaves should be periodically raked from the lawn and can be utilized in a compost pile or mulch for flowerbeds. A less preferred alternative is to continue to mow the lawn with a good mulching mower that will shred the leaves into tiny pieces that, eventuality, will fall into the turf canopy.

But keep in mind, if you mulch the leaves frequently, however small the particles, you still might have an issue with the build up of mulch underneath your turf and that could choke out good grass and could give you a problem with fungus and bugs. So, consider whether to rake or to mulch for your best lawn maintenance. Or, maybe do both.

Again, it is okay to mulch the leaves but every once in a while you will want to bag the leaves or blow them into an area where the leaves will not affect the turf. Then, give time for the mulch that is in your lawn to decompose properly.

Last Words: Keep your turf watered and nurtured during its dormant months. Like the grizzly bears in winter, your lawn in not dead, it is only hibernating.

Need advice or services for your falling leaves? Call Travis Poppell at Tallahassee Lawn Services today — 850.766.8370. Or go to our contact page.

Tallahassee Lawn Services is a family owned and operated business. Throughout the years, we have been committed to providing our customers with the highest quality landscaping and lawn maintenance service possible. — Travis Poppell