guide to fall landscaping

A Guide to Landscaping during Fall: What You Should Do

[Updated April 2022]

Many people would agree that it’s best to do significant landscaping during the fall. Spring may be the season that most people think about updating their yards, but certain factors determine that the best way is during the transition to winter. 

Whether you’re planting, pruning, or renovating your lawn, there are many reasons fall is the ideal season for landscaping. For one, fall has increased moisture and cooler temperatures. This is beneficial for plans because it allows them to adjust to their environment. 

Aside from that, irrigation and drainage may also run in the yard, and those should be prepared in time for the coming cold weather. So, what has to be done in fall landscaping? What should you not do? Read on below to learn more.

Why Should You Landscape During Fall?

Most landscaping projects involve adding new plants, be it shrubs or even trees. As stated before, fall is an excellent season for plants because they can grow better. If you’re transplanting plants, it reduces the “shock” that a plant experiences, letting it grow healthier just before the changing seasons from cold to hot.

A more practical reason you should do your landscaping project is that landscaping companies aren’t hectic during this time, and you can book workers to do the task faster.

#1: For Your Lawn

Aside from planting new plants or maintaining old ones, your lawn is also something you could work on during the fall. However, there are extra steps that must first be taken care of. Since a lawn is a flat surface, it will accumulate a lot of snow when winter comes.

Your lawn should be adequately fed with a winter fertilizer, as this provides your lawn with the nutrients it needs as it enters the winter season. Aside from that, you can also take other steps such as aerating, thatching, and overseeding. Remember that the window of time you have for overseeding is much shorter during the fall, so you need to accomplish this before or after winter. 

#2: For Your Irrigation and Drainage

If your yard has irrigation or drainage, it’s also something to be prepared for the cold winter months.

Since fall is a pretty relaxed season, you should take it upon yourself to check on the current state of your irrigation and drainage. If it’s appropriately winterized (prepared for the ice), then all is well. If not, it’s best to contact a drainage company to work on it.

Things to Take Note

When landscaping during the fall, below are some things that you should note for a more successful project.

Don’t Feed Plants, Feed Shrubs and Trees

Plants should not be fed because fall is a season that becomes dormant in response to the upcoming cold. If you provide your plant fertilizer, it’s a risk because softwood will grow, particularly vulnerable to the cold yet to come. 

If the cold gets to your plants, they will die. However, you should feed shrubs and trees fertilizer. They store their energy during the winter, sustaining them instead of using the food for growth until the next season.

Know That Pruning Helps 

Pruning refers to removing specific portions of a plant that are dead for healthier plant growth. Ideally, pruning should be done during the fall because, as stated earlier, the growth period of plants is ending, and they are entering dormancy in time for winter. 

Radical-selective pruning should be done after the winter. This is because it intrudes on potential plant growth, as they will be frozen during the winter.

Invest in Weed Control

Weed control is a measure that’s done regardless of the season, but it should also be done during the fall as well. If left unattended, weeds will freeze along with your plants during the winter months, affecting them. 

If they hit dormancy, they will be harder to remove, and it’s very time-consuming to do so because you can only remove them by hand-pulling.

Fall Landscaping Conclusion

Fall is a relaxing season of scarves and pumpkin spice, but that’s not all you should be doing. It’s only a matter of time before the cold winter months arrive, so you should make sure that your yard is well-prepared through landscaping.

Sir Williams Drainage and Waterproofing Solutions provide quality landscaping services in Michigan, serving clients with only top-notch services. If you need professional help because you can’t handle the work on your own, please don’t hesitate to contact us!

Sir Williams Gardens in Michigan can help you with your interior or exterior flooding issues.

We provide drainage, waterproofing, and landscaping services in the following towns:

  • Plymouth, MI
  • Canton, MI
  • Northville, MI
  • Novi, MI
  • Livonia, MI
  • Salem, MI
  • Farmington, MI
  • Farmington Hills, MI
  • Ypsilanti, MI
  • Westland, MI
  • Van Buren TWP, MI