Monday, October 4, 2010

Fall is Here!!

Fall is NOT my favorite time of year.

Yes, I love the holidays, family time, and getting to drink apple cider and hot cocoa once again. I don't complain about that. What I like to complain about is how everything dies.

As the trees shed their glorious leaves, the grass begins to brown and the bugs all try to head indoors so they too, may survive the frigid temperatures that are upon us. I hate it!!

What most people don't understand is what they then must do to preserve their yard. Do NOT rake those leaves, put them in bags, and then throw the bags away. Worse yet, do not sit those bags in your yard for the rest of winter. That does two things; 1. It kills your grass there. Great, now you will have a bald spot. 2. It looks horrible. I'm just sayin'.

Here is what you do... Take your mower out there for your last mow and mow right over those things. Shred that foilage and let it provide nutrients to your grass for the winter. When you no longer need to mow, mow anyways. Set your mower at the highest setting and head on out. Your grass isn't growing anymore and you won't harm it. You are going to direct those leaves toward the bottoms of all of your plants and trees. As the amount of leaves gets thicker under the mower, it will continue to mulch. You will direct all those leaves to your plants and not only provide them food for the entire winter, but it will act as a blanket and help save your plants during those possible ice storms or 12 foot of snow.

That is my suggestion for today. Think about it next time you go to do fall cleanup. What is a better way to provide nutrients to my grass? Hiring someone in the spring to come fertilze my yard with harsh chemicals that could possibly do more harm than good? Or not spending any money at all while helping your yard and environment at the same time.