With the leaves of summer turning into the colors of fall, it’s a sure sign that it may be time for your lawn to prepare for winter. There is no better time quite like the autumn season to where it can be done. If you don’t have time for things like leaf cleanup, New Castle Lawn & Landscape will be happy to help with your needs.
The question that needs to be asked is: why should leaf removal for West Chester homes like yours be something to consider? Believe it or not, the answers to this question just might surprise you.
Leaf Cleanup Is More Than Just Curb Appeal
If you think that leaf cleanup can help with curb appeal, it can. However, there’s a much deeper reason. Did you know that leaves can smother your lawn to where it can deprive them of sunlight? Not to mention, it can also retain unnecessary amounts of moisture while also creating the perfect environment for all kinds of pests and diseases that can hurt your lawn.
There are plenty of reasons why leaf cleanup for your West Chester home is necessary every fall. This includes the following:
Leaves causes blockage of sun and airflow
As mentioned, leaves can create enough blockage to where your lawn is getting inadequate amounts of sunlight. Plus, it’s basically suffocating your lawn since it’s also restricting, if not, entirely blocking the airflow of your lawn. Even if winter arrives, your lawn needs the sun, air, and nutrients of the fall season to survive the period of dormancy.
Leaves can create thick, damp layers that can lead to the prevention of photosynthesis, which is vital for the grass to store its energy during the winter. That’s why leaf cleanup is important and New Castle Lawn & Landscape can assist you if and when you need it. Because without proper cleanup to prepare for the winter, your lawn may be in for a long season and may not be looking as healthy when spring arrives.
Excess moisture encourages mold and fungus
Wet fallen leaves often clump together and will trap moisture in place. It creates a damp, dark environment that can create the perfect environment for all kinds of fungal diseases. Specifically, such diseases like snow mold, dollar spot, and brown patch are common and can leave unsightly damage that can lead to repairs that can cost you a bit more than taking proactive action such as leaf cleanup and fall maintenance that is worth every penny.
Routine leaf removal ensures that your lawn is able to breathe and dry out on its own. When it happens, it can reduce fungus risk while also keeping other diseases at bay. At this point, foregoing leaf removal would not be the smartest decision from not just a curb appeal standpoint but also a financial one.
Leaf Piles Are A Pest’s Best Friend
While jumping in leaf piles may seem like a fall pastime, there are others who love getting in on the fun as well. Believe it or not, those include the pests that tend to overwinter in leaf piles. They normally include but are not limited to: rodents, ticks, grubs, and numerous insects. What they do is sit and wait out the winter before wrecking havoc on your lawn when the spring arrives.
Keep the lawn clean with proper leaf cleanup and there is a greater chance that pest infestations are reduced considerably. Not to mention, you might also do your yard a favor by protecting its ecosystem.
Rotting Leaves Damage Soil Balance
Soil balance can be endangered by leaf pile up. Imagine something below the surface being threatened by something above them. It’s no joke, it really happens. Specifically, thick layers of leaves can rot and even cause disruptions in the balance of nutrients that your soil needs to thrive and have a good dormancy period.
Going deeper, decomposed leaves produce an excess amount of organic acids that can harm the pH balance of the soil. As a result, the grass and other plants will have poor soil quality and it will be almost impossible to survive. Thus, the need for leaf removal for West Chester homes like yours can become a near urgent thing to address if you care about your lawn a lot.
What Are The Benefits of Professional Leaf Removal Services?
Many homeowners do handle the leaf cleanup tasks on their own. Yet, there are times when some realize that it’s a process that takes time, not to mention labor-intensive. Nevertheless, investing in a professional leaf removal service like New Castle could be the best investment. Especially when you get to enjoy the following benefits:
Efficiency and equipment
Our crew of lawn and landscaping professionals have equipment that are commercial-grade and can handle the job. These include blowers, vacuums, and mowers that can handle large volumes of leaves in a quick and efficient manner. They can handle the tasks that take a few hours (compared to doing it yourself which can take an entire weekend or perhaps longer).
You save time and even money that could have otherwise gone towards costly lawn repairs. Nevertheless, it is important to consider leaf removal sooner rather than never. Especially when New Castle gets the job done on the same day.
Proper disposal and recycling
Raking leaves is a task that is part of the entire process. The other part is disposing of them. Not to worry, New Castle’s cleaning crew will handle the cleanup for you. What makes this even better is that leaves can also be recycled or composted into mulch that is rich in nutrients or soil conditioner that can be the best environmentally friendly solution that may even be used on your own lawn in the future.
Protection landscaping features
Your yard may have additional landscaping features like pathways, ornamental trees, shrubs, flowerbeds, and more. New Castle knows what makes your home’s landscape such a standout thing. That’s why their leaf cleanup services are by far one of the best options to ensure that your landscaping is well protected (aside from the usual maintenance). With a thorough and careful approach, you can count on a professional crew like ours to make sure that your landscaping and entire property as a whole is respected.
Prevents long-term lawn damage
Indeed, lawn damage (albeit the long-term type) can be hard to recover from. With unattended leaves, it can cause soil compaction, mold, and dead patches. Nevertheless, soil aeration and overseeding is normal for fall lawn preparation. However, reseeding and even complete lawn renovation may be the only approach for reversing the long-term damage caused by not being able to clean up the leaf pile up.
New Castle will make sure your lawn stays healthy and doesn’t need to be replaced. Because they care about every lawn they tend to in the West Chester area. The last thing they need is for one more lawn to suffer damage (while you foot a much larger bill).
These are the benefits you can enjoy with regular leaf cleanup that can really give your lawn the best chances of survival during the dormancy period. When spring arrives, it’ll look healthier than ever. Before you know it, New Castle may be back again for regular lawn care that you can depend on (assuming it’s something you need).
How Fall Leaf Cleanup Helps Prepare Your Lawn For Winter
Fall leaf cleanup is by far one of the best measures for winter preparation. Removing leaves and debris will all be favorable for your grass, soil, and nearby plants when they enter a dormant period. The chances of them rebounding in the spring are even more promising. Nevertheless, fall leaf cleanup gives way to the following:
Encourages strong roots
Grass roots can stay active even if the top growth slows down during the fall. As the leaves are cleared away, your soil can get the adequate sunlight and nutrients it needs. That paves the way for deeper root growth while also making sure that the grass has stored up energy that will be beneficial to them during the winter when it gets dormant.
Improves soil aeration
As mentioned earlier, wet and compacted leaves can suffocate the soil. Nevertheless, removing them can ensure that the soil aeration is increased considerably. In turn, the microorganisms in the soil can thrive while water absorption improves. Runoff is also reduced in the process so you don’t have to worry about erosion.
Prevents thatch buildup
Thatch is defined as a layer of dead grass and organic material that builds up underneath leaves. What it does is block those necessary nutrients and water that your lawn needs. Thatch accumulation is reduced considerably when fall leaf cleanup is consistent. Of course, the result is that your lawn is healthy and can be able to get the nutrients it needs via fertilization.
Make winterizing more effective
Your yard will be easier to winterize once the leaves and debris are all cleared. That means fertilizer can be applied, soil can be aerated, and overseeding is more effective in covering up spots. Fall maintenance is much easier to do when you have a lawn that doesn’t have obstructions and is cleaned up nicely. New Castle can winterize your lawn for you once the leaf cleanup is complete so you have the full package of winterized lawn care and have peace of mind knowing it’ll be healthier than ever when the spring arrives.
DIY vs Professional Leaf Cleanup: What Is The Best Option?
It’s true that DIY is easy for homeowners if they enjoy the work and invest the time in it. However, fall cleanup can also be left up to the professionals whether it’s a busy schedule standing in the way of things or if it’s too labor-intensive to get the job done. Let’s take a look at the following comparison chart to see the differences between DIY and professional leaf cleanup based on each task:
| Task | DIY Leaf Cleanup | Professional Leaf Cleanup |
| Time commitment | Takes several hours or even weekends to complete | Completed by a team with excellent efficiency |
| Equipment needed | Rake, blower, bags, and hauling | Commercial grade blowers, vacuums, and trucks |
| Thoroughness | You may miss hard-to-reach places | Excellent coverage including different types of landscaping |
| Disposal | You handle the bagging and hauling yourself | Eco-friendly removal and recycling is included |
| Cost efficiency | Upfront cost is minimal, but labor intensive | Saves you time and money that may have gone towards lawn repair |
Yes, both DIY and professional work have their advantages and disadvantages. However, for those who don’t mind the regular investment of professional grade leaf cleanup, New Castle has you covered with the experienced lawn care specialists and the equipment that can prove itself useful in getting the job done fairly quickly.
Sure, saving money by doing it yourself has its rewards. Yet, it comes with the downside of being labor intensive and not being able to get it done in a single weekend. However, you can rest easy knowing that you have a crew that can handle the work while you invest your time in other priorities. Why skip out on a relaxing weekend when you can get a team of professionals from New Castle that will remove the leaves on a particular day during the week and be done with it the same day?
Final Thoughts
Proper leaf cleanup can be a blessing for your lawn this fall. If done right, it can be able to go into dormancy period with more nourishment, better soil conditions, and the ability to pop up much stronger and healthier when winter gives way to spring. New Castle Lawn & Landscape will certainly give your lawn the best treatment it needs including removing leaves.
Never leave (no pun intended) anything to chance when it comes to your lawn. If you have more information on how we can help with your fall lawn care needs, contact New Castle Lawn & Landscape today.
