Fall is one of the most favorited seasons by many. The leaves begin to turn their colors, the morning and evening air gets crisper, and the aromas that fill your house of pumpkin and spice gives you all the feels. As picturesque and refreshing as the fall season can be, there are some aspects of it that property and facility managers could do without.
The name of the season says it all – falling leaves, falling temperatures, and fallen debris foreshadows what autumn is all about. Leaves and debris fall without a direction in mind and no predetermined final destination other than the ground below it. This means walkways, parking pads, lawns and garden beds becomes their final resting place, making for hazardous conditions to patrons and employees. Not to mention it can make for an unsightly property both in the fall and spring.
Why Clean It Up?
Aside from the aforementioned unsightliness and hazardous conditions of fallen debris on your property, there are several other valid reasons why 
picking it all up could make or break your lawn and gardens.
First, your lawn requires 3 things in order to thrive: sun, water and oxygen. Having a blanket of foliage, sticks and other debris can hinder these necessary nutrients from getting to the roots of your turf. Water gets collected on the leaves atop your grass, shunning away the sun and suffocating your lawn from vital oxygen.
Second, leaving the leaves on your lawn throughout the winter will leave your grass susceptible to mold, fungal material and diseases due to trapped moisture. Just like leaves deny water from getting through to your grass, it also traps moisture that was already there and decays the grass beneath. Funguses and bacteria also harm your plants. They’ll slip under the debris where they will spend their winter and as the temperatures begin to rise for new growth development, they will begin to plot their feet up against your plants and ruining them.
Third, if you have a fertilization and/or aerating and seeding program in place, leaving fallen foliage (which contains acid) and sticks will also damage your lawn and waste a good investment to your turf.
What’s Included in A Fall Cleanup?
As the end of the growing season nears, we prepare your property for the winter months by clearing your landscape beds, clearing hazardous debris
from walkways and parking pads, and, of course, leaf removal.
Leaf removal: For piles less girthy, we bring in our mowers. We use mulching blades that are designed to create an air vortex beneath the mower to suck up and cut up the small stuff leaving your property looking tidy again. For piles that require more power, we bring in a leaf sucker and remove them off site.
Bed cleaning: Landscape and flower beds are easy to maintain in the summer. However, fallen leaves and branches within the beds make them look unkempt. We bring in our blowers to clear out your beds so your plants stay the center of attention.
When Does Cleanup Begin?
Depending on the types of trees that surround your property, leaves and branches will drop at different times. The early droppers have already begun shedding. The major “leaf rush” usually comes in October, but largely depends on fall temperatures. Some trees will even hold their foliage through November and into December. Depending on the type of fall and winter conditions mother nature brings us, fall cleanup can go from October all the way into February.
Having a fall maintenance program in place will not only pay off come spring by mitigating winter damage, but it will also help your properties aesthetics throughout the winter. Let our experts take care of your fall cleanup needs so you can focus on what’s important. Give us a call today at 314.770.2828 or simply contact us online to schedule your fall cleanup services.
