Early November is about the time when even the procrastinating Cape Codders are forced to acknowledge that autumn is here and it is time to tend to our yards accordingly. It can be back-breaking work, but we have put some advice together to make your fall yard clean-up just a bit less intolerable.
Sharp Tools are Good Tools:
Sharpened trimmers, saws, clippers, and blades are a landscaper’s pal. Dull tools increase the amount of work you have to do clearing brush, trimming hedges, and cutting plants and limbs so you might as well just to it right to start. What’s more, when you put your tools away for the season they’ll be in good shape for next spring.
Get A Leaf Blower:
You’ll always need a rake but for the vast majority of leaf-related projects a blower is the way to go, cutting the time-consuming and unpleasant raking process. Wind put the leaves into your yard, it’s almost poetic to have wind solve the problem too. It’s important to take care of the leaves because letting them hang out can suffocate the grass. Plus blowing the leaves out of your yard and into the next can be a nice way irritate an unpleasant neighbor.
Bonus tip: Leaf Blowers are actually a really efficient way to clean your gutters.
Prepare Your Tools for a Winter Away:
Don’t leave gas in your mower! A lesson many of us have learned the hard, expensive way. Run out your gas powered tools, run it all out. Gas that sits for a long length of time can clog up the carburetor, particularly in the cold. Next, grease up parts like the pull cord and metal parts that can rust and cause future problems, and add a light coat of oil to prevent rust during the cold season. This applies to mowers, powers saws and trimmers, and whatever else you may be using.
Bonus Tip: Drain all water from hoses, fountains, and drip irrigation systems, and store them in a dry place. Water left standing over the winter may damage your equipment, especially during cold winters.
Lawn Mower Bags Don’t Make Sense:
Fact. Lawn mowing season is very nearly through. But for the last few mows I advocate mulching your clippings A) it saves time, and B) it’s actually good for your lawn too. This, in the business, is referred to as a win/win. Grass clippings are 80 percent water and thus break down real quickly, and as they decompose they provide your lawn with all kinds of helpful nutrients. Plus you don’t have to stop every 30 seconds and keep finding subtle places to dump the stuff.
Bonus Tip: The final mow of the season should be particularly low, ensuring that oxygen makes its way into your lawn throughout the winter.
Don’t Forget to Water:
It may not be real nice out anymore but the lawn still needs watering. You should continue to water the grass right up until the ground begins to freeze (at which point it becomes pointless). It is a particularly good idea to keep the soil under your grass moist right through late fall in the northeast. Our often long and brutal winters deprive the ground of the moisture that they need, it’s best not to start that deprivation until as late as possible.
Bonus Tip: Spread fertilizer in October and November to stimulate root growth before the ground freezes
Don’t Lift With Your Back:
Obvious, and not particularly nuanced, but good advice bears repeating. Lift heavy stuff with your knees, or hire a neighborhood kid whose well-being isn’t your concern to do it for you.
By CapeCod.com Staff
