6 Essential Tasks for Your Fall Yard Clean-Up

Fall lawn clean-up is something many homeowners do in preparation for the long winter ahead. Not only does tending to your lawn during fall keep unwanted pests away, but it also prepares your landscape for a lush beginning come next spring. As fallen leaves build up and temperatures drop, make sure you're staying on top of fall yard clean-up by completing these essential tasks.

Benefits of a Fall Yard Clean-Up

Spending time on your lawn now will give it what it needs to look its best next year. Removing weeds, raking fallen leaves, and maintaining garden beds will prevent your lawn from building up with debris throughout the season and into winter, giving you a head start come spring.

"During the cold winter months, you need to have the lawn in the best shape possible," says Matt Blashaw, a licensed contractor and Spectracide partner. "Weeds and thatch can rob lines of vital nutrients it needs in order to hibernate properly." What's more, lower temperatures and more precipitation are much better for the lawn to absorb what it needs to be healthy and lush, says Ryan Mcenaney, public relations and communications specialist for Bailey Nurseries.

When to Start Fall Yard Clean-Up

You should begin your yard clean-up at the start of the fall. "The weather will be much nicer to work in and the lawn will be prepared before its hibernation in the frigid months," says Blashaw. By getting started sooner, you can also avoid having to squeeze this project into the already-busy holiday season.

Essential Clean-Up Tasks

Make sure you complete these essential tasks when cleaning up your yard during fall.

De-Thatch Your Lawn

First on the to-do list? De-thatch your lawn. "When the thatch gets too dense, it can put a chokehold on your lawn and deprive it from essential sunshine and nutrients," says Blashaw. "Either use a hard rake to remove it or have a professional lawn company do what's called vertical cutting." After de-thatching, which you should do in October or November, it's essential to apply a product to fight the weeds that will pop up in spring.

Clean Garden Beds

When cleaning up your lawn this fall, be sure not to neglect your garden beds. "Fall cleanup is a great way to get your garden ready for winter, avoid doing some work in the busy spring season, and create an opportunity for some late-season planting," says Mcenaney. "I don’t recommend cutting back all of your perennials in fall so that insects and pollinators have a home for the winter months, but you can certainly do some cleanup." This is also a smart time to put new plants in the ground, since the soil is still warm but the summer heat isn't there to stress out fresh plants.

Add Mulch

Once your garden beds are clean, lay down a layer of mulch. You can also use fallen leaves as natural insulation rather than using wood chips. "Adding a layer of mulch in the fall is like putting an extra blanket on before going to sleep for the night," says Mcenaney. "Not only does it give the root system extra protection against winter elements but gets a jumpstart on spring application to retain water and keep weeds at bay."

Remove Leaves

Removing fallen leaves is important to ensure they don't smother your grass or cause a build-up of mold or bacteria, which can cause short- and long-term damage. "Mulch mowers can be used to cut the leaves into small pieces, which can be left on the grass, or if you’d rather remove them completely, they can be composted, chopped and used in your garden beds as winter protection, or disposed of using leaf and yard litter bags," says Mcenaney.

Trim Damaged Branches

Removing dead or damaged branches from plants is another important aspect of fall yard clean-up. Doing so allows for airflow as leaves drop in fall, helping to prevent disease affecting the plant. "It also removes the potential for additional damage as snow piles onto the plant for those in cold climates," says Mcenaney. "My only caveat is that you don’t want to remove branches too late in the season or frost and freeze can cause even more damage if live plant tissue is exposed to the elements."

Mow Your Lawn

Summer's end doesn't mean mowing is over, too. In fact, fall is the best time to mow your lawn, says Mcenaney. "In part because it’s growing quickly, but frequent mowing (twice per week) works to thicken up the lawn and control weeds," he says. "Next to irrigation, mowing is the single most important aspect of lawn care, and you should mow as often as you can in the fall. "