Here's what Fall Means For Your Property Maintenance in Somers, Westchester County NY

As summer winds down, the nights are crisper but the days are still plenty warm and now is the perfect time to ensure your property is ready for next spring. Routine maintenance is at the heart of a beautiful landscape. Every season has its unique needs, so here’s what fall means for your property maintenance in Somers, Westchester County, NY.

Planning

Now, while your landscape’s shortcomings are still fresh in your mind, is the best time to plan ahead. If there are areas of your landscape that are an ongoing challenge… or areas that you never use or overuse, then get ready for next season: replace a struggling section of lawn with easy-keeping native plants; expand your patio space; or remove an unused weed-choked garden and add more lawn for the kids.

Hardscape Maintenance

Water will degrade your patio, walkways, driveway, and pool deck. We think of stone, concrete pavers, poured concrete, and asphalt as impervious to water, but all materials absorb water to some degree. Water expands as it freezes, causing cracks which lead to rapid disintegration of the surface.

Removing fallen leaves and grass clippings, and power-washing the hardscape surfaces removes water-trapping debris. It will also discourage mold and mildew growth. Cleaning means sweeping, and then scrubbing with a mild dish soap or power washing.

After cleaning, reapply eroded joint compound, replace broken pavers, seal cracks or completely replace asphalt or poured concrete. Apply penetrating or surface sealant to natural stone or concrete pavers to protect them from water infiltration and deicing chemicals.

Gutter Cleaning

Once leaves have fallen, clean out your gutters to prevent water damage from snow melt and heavy spring rains.

Tree and Shrub Care

After a hot summer, many trees are stressed and less resistant to weather, pests, and disease. Apply a slow-release fertilizer to replace depleted nutrients, and water deeply throughout the fall to help retain moisture beneath the frozen surface soil. Remove rotten, broken, or diseased branches (or complete trees if necessary). Stressed trees may be too weak to support the extra weight of ice and snow. Trim boxwoods and other shrubs now, to shape them and divert their energy to their roots.

Planting

Fall is for planting! Trees, shrubs, and bulbs can be planted in early fall so they have a chance to develop a healthy root mass before winter.

Plant Bed Maintenance

Clear out spent annuals, dead-head spent perennials, divide plants, add compost and mulch, and fertilize and water plants to help them survive the coming cold.

Pest Control

Rodents and insects are busy looking for warm places to overwinter. Discourage them from entering your home, and eliminate any that have already established residence.

Lawn Care

Fallen leaves add nutrients to your lawn if they are mulched or evenly raked throughout the lawn. Never leave piles of leaves on top of the lawn because they will quickly clump together into a thick rubbery mass that prevents air, sunlight, and water from reaching the grass, effectively killing it. Continued mowing (using a mulching mower), watering, and fertilizing will support next summer’s growth spurt.

Drainage

Fix any drainage issues before the ground freezes and before spring runoff and rain causes flooding or property damage.

Landscapes never sleep, and neither does their care. Our landscape maintenance pros can give you back your weekends and ensure a healthy and thriving landscape year after year. Give us a call!