Fall is here, starting tomorrow September 22, 2022, and the autumn season officially begins. The weather here in Denver Colorado already seems to agree, bringing in cooler temperatures and overcast skies. But the lack of sunshine doesn’t mean your lawn, yard, and landscaping are done for the year! There is plenty to be done for landscaping in the Fall. Vista Landscape Development often finds that this is a time of the year when many homeowners miss out on important and fun landscaping in the Fall. Here are some major items that every home and business should consider when landscaping in the Fall
Composting
For businesses and homes alike, sustainability starts with working on what is already on hand. When it comes to landscaping in the Fall, leaves are the first thing to tend to. The cooler weather changes the color of the leaves and trees finally shed them before the winter months. Instead of throwing away bags upon bags of fallen leaves, why not have them turned into composting material?
These fallen leaves are a great source of nutrient-rich materials that can be used for your garden’s soil! Fallen leaves make an excellent habitat for pollinators and beneficial insects. Composting your leaves instead of throwing them out can save you money and even benefit your garden next year. Save on in-store fertilizers and compost solutions by starting your very own fall leaves compost supply.
Instead of gathering all the leaves and leaving them in a pile for the winter, homeowners can go a few more steps to creating a beneficial compost heap. Using a leaf shredder or mulcher will help make the compositing process happen much more efficiently. In addition, you can add grass clippings and other organic materials found throughout your yard’s maintenance. Grass clippings, coffee grounds, vegetable scraps, green plant cuttings, and fruit are all good candidates for adding a nitrogen element to your compost.
The next step to composting your fall leaves is figuring out the best way to store them. Storing your compost in a bin or bins are the ideal solution. As mentioned earlier, you can also simply push the leaves into a pile and cover them with a tarp. But an important factor in the composting process is allowing the material to gain moisture. When stored in bins, the organic material can use that moisture to carry on the decomposition process. (Pro tip: make sure your bins or pile are away from view or anything that needs to stay dry, as the moisture can sometimes leak out).
Finally, the last step is a maintenance-based one. Homeowners can’t simply leave a decaying pile of leaves to their own devices, they need to be cared for. You should turn the compost heap (tumble it) every two weeks. Using a pitchfork or a shovel, turn the bottom layer up and mix the top layer in. This will keep the moisture level relatively even and encourage more even levels of decay. It can also help prevent leaves from matting or forming clumps that won’t allow air to flow and will hold moisture in.
When to plant Fall flowers
In Denver, the autumn weather is over very quickly which means the window of opportunity for gardeners and landscapers is fairly small to plant fall flowers. Generally, landscaping in the Fall requires the new plants to be installed before October 1st. This is the deadline because hard frost typically comes around October 15th. A hard frost will dramatically change the landscape of your yard or lawn, slowing down vegetative growth.
Fall lawn services in Denver, CO
Don’t forget to get schedule preventative and maintenance landscaping. Your trees and shrubs will need to be trimmed, removed, or otherwise to weather the coming winter. If trees are rotting, sick, or overgrown; heavy snowfall can spell disaster for the plants. Another item to worry about with your landscape dealing with cooler temps is the irrigation system or sprinklers. An irrigation or sprinkler blow-out service is needed to make sure the lines that transport water are clear and do not freeze. It also helps as a reminder to shut off the irrigation system’s water so it does not freeze in the cooler weather and cause worse problems to your home or business. For all your landscaping in the Fall needs, contact Vista Landscape Development for a free consultation and list of services!
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