Autumn is one of the most stunning times of the year in Fargo-Moorhead … until the heaps of leaves make you break a sweat by just looking at them! Cleaning up massive mounds of leaves is a chore, but it does more than just tidy up your lawn. This is why cleaning up fallen leaves is essential to your lawn’s health (and how to get it done without breaking your back).
Cleaning Up Leaves Promotes Healthy, Young Growth
Leaving foliage to pile up in your lawn may seem like the easier route, but it can actually prevent your lawn from remaining healthy throughout the winter. A blanket of leaves blocks the sunlight from reaching your grass, stopping photosynthesis and starving your lawn. By thoroughly removing these leaves, it allows sunlight to reach your grass and lets your lawn continue to make energy-rich nutrients.
It Allows Your Lawn To Breathe
After a whole year of natural growth and decay in your lawn, a layer of dead organic material called thatch builds up. This layer is packed with nutrients, but by letting your fallen leaves rot in your yard, it can build up immensely and suffocate your grass. Yes, even your grass needs to breathe to be in tip-top shape!
All lawns need dethatching now and then but hiring a lawn care pro to remove this buildup of leaves will slow thatch growth. In addition to sweeping up leaves, a professional can tell you when it’s time to dethatch your lawn and provide you with more tips to avoid rapid thatch buildup.
It Avoids Snow Molds In The Winter
Mold loves nothing more than to find the moistest, nutrient-dense locations to grow. Leaves will hold on to water from several rainfalls and create a dense, wet environment for fungus to thrive. One of the more infamous diseases in the cooler seasons is gray snow mold.
Gray snow mold develops under a blanket of snow and affects all cool-season turfgrasses in North Dakota. Its silk-like structure covers the turf like spider webs. While small infections are largely an aesthetic nightmare, some prolonged cases can harm your grass. Prevention is always better than treatment, so the best route to avoid snow mold is to properly aerate your lawn and do away with all those fallen leaves.
It Prevents Pests From Appearing
That untouched blanket of leaves is also a cozy little home to various unwanted critters. Rodents might find their way into your backyard and beneath leaf piles, so a proper autumn cleanup is a must. Mice are especially troublesome because once they make a house out of your backyard, they might just find their way through your door.
Insects are also common culprits of yard invasions. As tiny as ladybugs are, these beetles will swarm to any warm and safe place, whether it be beneath a leaf pile or your living room. Ladybugs, among other fall insects, are persistent about finding a winter shelter, so don’t let it be your home. An autumn cleaning service will save you both time and money by avoiding an exterminator later on.
It Will Enhance Your Lawn’s Curb Appeal
When you work your butt off to keep your grass lively and green, heaps of brown leaves simply don’t do your lawn justice. The weather may have cooled off, but that doesn’t mean that it’s time for your lawn to go dormant just yet. By scheduling a fall cleanup, you can take advantage of a flourishing lawn for another few months before winter arrives. The picture-perfect bonfires and marshmallow toasting nights in your stunning backyard aren’t over just yet!
Setting up a plan to clean up your fallen leaves throughout September and October will get you ahead of the game. Not only will it prioritize your lawn’s health, but you’re also shielding your home from unwelcome pests. Seeing those vibrant autumn leaves drop already? Call us at 701-361-0556 or email us to get a FREE quote for fall leaf cleanup today.