Have you looked outside lately? If you have, you may have noticed that we’re experiencing a spectacular array of autumn color!
Unfortunately, some of these beautiful leaves are already starting to wilt and fall from their hosts here in Northern Virginia. And as we move closer and closer to winter, more and more of them will descend on your turf and ornamentals. The resulting piles can present a significant threat to the health of your landscape! If they’re not removed within a relatively short period of time, you may start to see part of your lawn or some of your ornamentals die outright from lack of sunlight. And that would be a shame considering how much time, energy, and money you’ve invested in your landscape.
So, what should you do? You can certainly try to tackle the leaves yourself, or you can hire a professional service such as Kane Landscapes. If you decide to do everything yourself, there a few things you should know. First, you’ll want to make sure your plants and lawn are never covered entirely. If for some reason everything is covered, make sure it’s not for more than a few days. Second, when you’re trying to get rid of the leaves only mulch small quantities. Leaves contain many of the micronutrients necessary for the development of a healthy turf system; however, a large volume of mulched leaves on a turf area may decrease the soil pH to a point where it is too acidic for many of our cool season grasses to grow well. The last thing to remember is to not only clean the leaves off your ornamentals but to also clean around their stems and trunks. Many landscape pests overwinter in leaf litter. When these pests become active again in the spring, they will immediately start feeding. But if there’s not much leaf litter near or plants, you shouldn’t have much – if any – issue with these pesky pests.
Of course, you could just hire us to take care of the whole process. Our crews work diligently to make sure all the things that need to be done are done correctly and that no leaf is left unturned. Our vacuum crew works long hours to clean up the piles. And our managers keep tabs on the leaf fall in all our neighborhoods to make sure our service is prompt and timely. All in all, we work hard to allow you to enjoy your landscape at its best.