Take Advantage of the Good Weather

While we are still enjoying the nice weather you might want to get out in the yard and get a jump on your Fall Checklist.  Now is a good time to aerate your lawn, do some overseeding if needed and apply a starter fertilizer.  Now is also the best time to attack broadleaf weeds since they are gearing up for winter. Apply a weed killer now and it will get soaked up nicely.  Fall is also a good time to plant trees and shrubs; the root systems grow faster in fall and there is less demand on the plant to produce leaves and flowers.

Very soon the leaves will start falling.  Think about what you want to do with them.  It is highly recommended to shred them up with your mower and feed them back into the lawn or garden beds.  If you really want to rake them then you can also use them as winter insulation for delicate plants. Either way, you should NEVER let the whole leaves pile up on your lawn over winter or they will smother your lawn!