Since we all live in Central Iowa, Fall is a great time to prepare our lawns for winter and next Spring. By completing important landscaping tasks now, your landscaping and lawn will be prepared for the winter and have everything needed to thrive next spring. Take a look at our 10 Fall lawn care tips.

  • #1 Feed Your Lawn: Feed lawns now to encourage root development. Using a broadcast spreader, apply a winterizer weed & feed fertilizer to your lawn. A great lawn in the Spring begins with the work in the fall.
  • #2 Aerate & Overseed: Fall is a great time to core aerate your lawn and plant new grass seed. Aeration will help loosen the soil and promote root growth. With the warmer soil temperatures and morning dew, grass seed is able to germinate quickly.
  • #3 Edge & Mulch Landscape Beds: Edging and mulching in the fall will give your beds a great look when the snow melts in the Spring. Mulch any shrubs and plants that tend to heave in the winter to prevent damage.
  • #4 Plant Spring Bulbs: Plant tulips and daffodils around late perennials and ornamental grasses to fill in the empty areas of early spring. This will give your landscape an early pop of color before any other perennials bloom in the Spring.
  • #5 Clean Up: Remove any diseased or infested foliage now to prevent more damage next year. Blow all leaves and debris out of landscape beds.
  • #6 Wrap Trees: Wrap any newly planted smooth bark trees to prevent frost crack. Protect all trees where deer are present with garden fencing if necessary.
  • #7 Apply Wilt Pruf: Spray evergreens to prevent winter burn. Wilt Pruf and Wilt Stop are ant desiccants that lock in moisture and prevent seasonal needle drop and environmental damage.
  • #8 Clean up Leaves: Clean up any leaves in landscape beds and lawns. Decaying leaves can kill grass and create mess in the Spring.
  • #9 Mow your Lawn: Mowing your lawn short will help prevent mice & rabbits from nesting under the snow in your lawn. Mice will damage your lawn and rabbits will eat the bark off plants and trees.
  • #10 Plant: Now is a great time to plant! Plants are all about root growth in the fall and cool temps make them easy to care for. You can plant well into November most years, until the ground freezes. It is an especially good time to plant evergreen trees, such as Norway Spruce, Colorado Blue Spruce, Arborvitae and Eastern White Pine to create winter privacy screens your home.

As always, Brilliant Borders is more than happy to help with any fall lawn clean up or landscaping projects in the Des Moines area. If you need any help, please contact us today at (515) 664-6205.