It has been impossible to miss the days getting shorter and the overnight low temperatures dipping towards the first freezes of the year in the Calgary area. The leaves of all of the deciduous trees have all received the environmental cues to turn, and are falling in earnest already. As usual, there will be a mess of leaves, seed packets, needles and pine cones falling and blowing all over the city. You don’t even have to own trees on your own property to be forced to deal with a wind blown mess.
Whether you’re a homeowner or the owner or manager of a commercial property, this change in the weather means it is time for a fall clean-up ahead of the snow flying. Waiting until it is too late means a huge mess come next spring. If you find yourself with limited time, or if the prospect of doing the clean-up by yourself in rain, sleet and falling temperatures is a task you’d love to “outsource,” consider hiring us here at Mirage Landscaping in Calgary. We will take care of your fall clean up for you and ensure that your property is free of unwanted ground cover that will become a slick, lawn killing mass of organic waste if left on the ground over the winter.
Landscaping in Calgary: Why Clean-Up in the Fall?
The first thing we will do for you is get in a last mow and trim of your yard. The grass will go dormant over the winter, so it makes sense to have it trimmed down in the fall. Come springtime, the wet weather and warming temperatures will cause the grass to explode into a growth phase while its moisture content will make it very difficult to mow, especially on a do it yourself basis. By shortening the grass one last time ahead of winter, you have shorter grass to deal with next spring.
No less important a task is dealing with those leaves and/or conifer debris. Unfortunately, depending on the mix of trees on or near your property, clearing the leaves and other tree deposited debris may be more than a one time visit. Nevertheless, cleaning up the leaves and other tree debris from both your lawn and garden areas yard will keep them both from getting smothered over the winter. There are several options available for dealing with leaves. Mirage Landscaping in Calgary has professional grade mowing equipment and power rakes to use on your property. We can either mulch the leaves into your lawns and gardens, or we can bag all of the leaves into your designated composting areas, or we can simply remove all of it from your site entirely.
The last included service in our bundle of fall clean up services is the removal of bedded plants. When you have annuals, be they decorative plants or vegetables in boxes, raised beds, or a designated planting area, they need to be removed lest the remains of summer become a winter hideout for both mammalian and insect pests. Annuals are destined to die, let us remove them for you so your garden has a fresh start come spring.
Additional Fall Clean-Up Services
There are additional areas of attention to your lawns and gardens you may opt to have us handle while we are performing your fall clean up. Foremost among these are feeding and aerating the grass one last time ahead of winter. Your last lawn feeding of the season is very important. An autumn feeding builds a strong root system to protect your lawn during the cold Calgary winter. We use a special blend of fertilizer so as to not burn your lawn, where a nutrient assist, not lush growth, is the goal.
If you are like many homeowners or property managers, everyone from kids, to dogs, to the general public, has put a summer beat down on your lawn from foot traffic. All of this activity compacts the soil. If you decide on one last feeding for your lawn, aerating helps ensure the nutrients, oxygen, and nitrogen, will get to the root system of the grass.
Even if you decide against feeding your lawn ahead of winter, you should still consider an aeration of your lawn. The aeration will perforate the lawn with hundreds to thousands of little holes. Every time the winter’s snow cover melts your lawn will receive moisture.
Remember, too, that come winter, if the snow is piling up too much for your own comfort, that Mirage Landscaping in Calgary works through the “off season”, performing snow removal services for our clients.
As always, we offer free price quotes on every service we provide to our clients. If you live in the Calgary area, you should call us and see what we can do for you this fall.
