Everyone knows that spring is prime time for lawn care, but fall is just as important, if not more so, to the health of your lawn. Properly preparing for spring means making the right moves in the fall, and C & B Operations is here to help you with all the right tools and supplies you need to make the most of your fall cleanup.

Taking care of your lawn starts with good soil maintenance, and fall is an excellent time to aerate your soil. After a good rain, when the soil is still moist but not soggy, use a core aerator on your lawn to open up the soil. Aeration will allow your seeding and fertilizing to reach the roots of your grass, keeping the root system deep and strong.

Speaking of seeding and fertilizing, the fall is also a good time to reseed your lawn and spread nutrients for the coming winter. Overseeding your lawn will help to fill in any bare patches left behind by summer sun and heat while adding slow-release nutrients will not only help the new seed take root but also feed your lawn over the cold, dim winter. The best protection against weeds is a good, dense lawn and fall is the time to lay the foundation for that.

Regular maintenance is essential to these once-a-year projects succeeding. So you should also make sure that you continue to mow through the fall. You’ll want to slowly start working your way down to shorter and shorter grass, eventually reaching a good winter height – usually around an inch depending on the type of grass you have. Leaving it too long during the winter will leave it open to burrowing rodents making nests with your garden. Be sure not to cut it too close too soon, however. A gradual reduction in length will help prevent die-off.

You’ll also need to keep up with fallen leaves. Contrary to popular wisdom, a blanket of fallen leaves doesn’t protect your lawn. The increased moisture decreased evaporation, and blocking of sunlight to your grass are prime conditions for fungal infestations. So rake up those leaves or run your mower with a collection bag or mulching setting to keep them under control.

Fall is also the opportune time to engage in a little equipment maintenance. Since you’re going to be putting away your lawn equipment for several months, it’s important to make sure that you do so in a manner that will make it easier to use when you bring it out again in the spring.

After the last mow of the season, it’s a good idea to either empty your mower’s gas tank or, at the very least, add a gas stabilizer to it to make sure that it will still start after sitting still for several months. You’ll also want to clean off all the accumulated grass from under the mower deck and wheel wells. Even the slight amount of moisture in this grass can encourage rust.

You’ll want to take the same approach to your other large lawn tools and vehicles. Clean off any lingering soil and turf bits, wash down the dirt and grime, and empty the gas out of any of your gas-powered trimmers and chainsaws.

You can leave tune-up maintenance like oil changes and new spark plugs until spring but a solid, once a year deep clean during the fall will go a long way towards improving the life of your tools.

Fall is an important time for lawn care and it’s essential that you properly prepare for the winter so that your spring is as productive as possible. Routine maintenance combined with a few once-a-year projects can both protect your lawn and your equipment for years and years to come. Here at C & B Operations, we want to help you make that preparation as painless as possible. Whether you need to purchase an aerator or you need to bring your tractor in for a once over, we have the staff and the inventory to make your fall clean up a success.