Florida Fall Landscape Preparation

With summer already behind us, now is the time to start thinking about fall landscape preparation. Landscapes often start looking a little bit messy come fall and this is a great time to clean them up while also preparing them for the coming winter. In fact, the landscape tasks that are performed now will play a huge role in how your landscape emerges come springtime.

Of course, you might not be sure which services are most important. That’s why we’ve rounded up this easy list that includes all of the fall landscape tasks you should be considering.

Aeration

Lawn aeration is the process of using a machine (called an “aerator”) to pull cores of soil from the lawn in order to allow more oxygen, nutrients, and water to penetrate down to the turf’s roots—where they’re needed most. Aeration also goes a long way in relieving soil compaction and helping the lawn “breathe.” In turn, this will improve the efficacy of services like fertilization or even pest or disease treatments, since the products applied will not just lay atop of the hard and compacted soil.

Post Summer Irrigation Inspection

Late season irrigation check-ups are an important task that will help ensure that everything about your system is in optimal working order. An inspection should include a controller adjustment (as watering needs will decrease post-summer) or potentially even a system shut-down if you don’t plan to run your irrigation system during the winter months.

Fall Insect Inspection (and Treatment)

The fall is a busy time for pests when they tend to emerge in search of food and water. Unfortunately, Florida is home to a large number of pests, including lawn grubs, which are pests that eat grassroots. If you happen to notice a lot of bird activity in your lawn, this can be a tell-tale sign of grubs (as birds often feed on them).

It’s important to get lawn grubs (and any other pests) under control quickly because they can be incredibly destructive. A lawn care pro can perform a fall insect inspection and spot the early signs of lawn pests that might be attacking your turf. With the right course of curative products, you can get on track to restoring your lawn’s good health.

End-of-Year Fertilization

The late fall or early winter is an important and final round of fertilizer for the calendar year. Feeding your lawn will help prepare it for the colder conditions and keep it optimally healthy for the coming spring. Of course, it’s important that you don’t wait too long for this service. If grass is already dormant, it will be a waste of your investment. A lawn care professional will know the best times to fertilize your lawn.

Fall Enhancements

The fall is a great time to think about some landscape enhancement work. Adding fall flowers to your landscape can help it continue to look vibrant throughout the fall season. You might also think about scheduling a mulch installation to freshen up your plant beds. Mulch can play a vital role in the fall and winter seasons, helping to insulate your plants’ roots when temperatures take a dip. Mulch can be installed along with seasonal flowers, or as its own project.

Working with a Lawn & Landscape Professional

While you could perform some of these tasks on your own, the fact is, you probably have better ways that you could be spending your time. On top of that, you might not be sure which services are best performed (and when)—but a professional will know exactly what your property needs.

If you’d like to ensure that you’re doing everything you can to keep your lawn and landscape looking its best, then now is the time to work with a professional who can get you on the right track.