Outdoor Fall Maintenance: A Few DIY Tips

Fall foliage is beautiful, but then the leaves start to fall. If you do all your own lawn maintenance, taking care of the leaves is one of a variety of chores worth your time right now, says Deck and Patio’s Outdoor Living Expert, Bill Renter.
Fall Foliage in NY's Catskills
Leaf tannin stains pavers, concrete, and decks. It is better to remove the leaves than to, say, seal your decks and patios. Sealers need to be constantly redone, which turns into a lot of maintenance. Note: New pavers, and, specifically, Trex Transcend decking materials, do not require sealants, and it is actually better not to put it on such products.
Watch Out for Leaf Stain
It’s equally important to keep leaves off the grass. You don’t want your healthy grass to get matted down, because, in winter, it needs sunlight and oxygen.
Keep Off The Grass
This is a good time of year to cut any dead tree limbs away, so that coming snow or ice storms won’t cause them to crack and fall. Falling limbs can result in accidents to people, cars, and homes.


Tip: Before all the leaves have fallen, says Renter, look up your trees to see if any branches are completely bare of leaves. This is a good indicator of what needs to be cut off. Also, look to see if any low-hanging branches are near power lines; trim these so the weight of any ice or snow won’t pull them down into the wiring.
Fall Tree Maintenance (Photo/Aquascapes Inc.)
To prep your driveway and walkway for winter, it’s helpful to get supplied with fiberglass stakes (sometimes called “plow stakes” or “snow stakes”) for placing along your driveway in advance of the first snow storm.


You position the stakes to indicate where any costly Belgium Block or other edging could be damaged from snow plows. One end of the stake is pointed for easy insertion in the ground. Also, they come in different colors and you can let a particular color indicate, for example, where a fire hydrant is, the regular curb, your driveway entrance, etc.
Fall Driveway Prep
Costly Belgium Block or other edging could be damaged from snow plows, so stock up on fiberglass stakes.
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
Comments
Join the conversation
 2 comments
Next