Once summer has passed, many Wisconsin homeowners tend to set aside their lawn care tasks until next year. You might even call fall the “forgotten season” when it comes to tending to your landscaping. If you plan to take your lawn mower for one final spin around your Chetek WI yard, you might want to consider the following in order to promote a healthier lawn and landscape when spring rolls back around.
Your City of Lakes real estate team, Six Lakes Realty, is happy to share a few important fall lawn maintenance tips below to keep your yard healthy and prepared for the coming colder months:
Rake the leaves
This is typically a fall task for many Chetek homeowners, but you’ll want to pay special attention to your raking this year. If you have heaps of leaves, be sure to rake and remove any currently covering your lawn to avoid damaging the grass. Any stray leaves that fall after your final raking can be left to feed the lawn during the winter. What’s more, raking can protect the quality of the ground water. When leaves and other yard debris freeze and thaw in the winter, they can release any phosphates and nitrates they have absorbed. These elements can ultimately run off the ground during the melting stage in the spring and end up in the ground water, so it is always wise to rake when possible.
Pull weeds
While you’re raking your Chetek WI yard, pull any weeds you see to ensure you have fewer of them in the spring!
Fertilize your lawn
Before winter arrives, you will want to fertilize your lawn and seed any dead or bare spots. For a more rich, plush grass in the spring, you can seed the entire lawn—even overseed—with optimal times from September through November.
Water trees one last time
If you have trees, shrubs or hedges on your Northwestern Wisconsin property, you may like to give them one last watering before you turn off your outside water for the season. This is best done when the leaves on the trees have fallen.
Keep your grass short
Break out your lawn mower one more time and be sure to keep your grass around 2 to 2 1/2 inches. If you allow the grass to grow taller in the fall, it can become matted down under rain and leaves and unfortunately, promote lawn diseases in the winter. However, anything under 2 inches will inhibit the the grass’ ability to store nutrients for the spring and even promote the growth of weeds.
Shut off outside water
This may be one of the last weekends of semi-warm weather where you can clean and store your garden hose. Once you’ve done so, you will want to shut off any water lines outside. If you have automatic irrigation in your yard, you can reduce the risk of damage by having it blown with compressed air before any freezing can take place.
If you have questions about how to prepare your home for listing this fall or in the spring, give Six Lakes Realty a call today! We’re happy to help!
John Flor
Managing Broker
Six Lakes Realty
Office: (715) 924-4806
Email: john@sixlakesrealty.com