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Outdoor Preparations For Winter In Northern Virginia


Remove Any Debris

As the trees lose their foliage, you will want to rake up to remove dead leaves and other debris that will smother the grass, prevent growth and possibly kill it. Organic waste like leaves and weeds can provide space for pests like snakes, mice and groundhogs. In addition to having pest running around in your yard, excessive yard debris can cause drainage issues, which may cause a problem once all the snow melts.




Remove Any Debris


As the trees lose their foliage, you will want to rake up to remove dead leaves and other debris that will smother the grass, prevent growth and possibly kill it. Organic waste like leaves and weeds can provide space for pests like snakes, mice and groundhogs. In addition to having pest running around in your yard, excessive yard debris can cause drainage issues, which may cause a problem once all the snow melts.


Prune plants and trim trees


Once the summer growth cycle is over, have you noticed any shrubs, trees or plants that look not so healthy or dead? If they area dead you’d want to have it removed as soon as possible to prevent damage to property or worse, injury to humans or pets. Prune trees and other plants with branches that are near your home. Pruning can help your trees and plants grow back healthier next spring and can also help prevent damage to your home.


Have your tree removed during the dormant season. Once the leaves have fallen off during late fall and early winter, it is much easier for arborist to cut and handle.


Tree Trimming. If at all possible you should try to keep limbs and branches at least 3 feet from your home so that rain won’t drip onto the roof or siding. This also helps keep rodents from hopping on the roof and trying to nest in your attic. Also trimming and removing close or dead branches overhaning your house that could potentially fall and cause damage or injury during windy or icy weather.



Aerate the Lawn


Aerating your lawn can remove thatch, alleviate soil compaction and prepare your lawn for a beautiful spring. Having excess thatch or heavy organic debris under the grassy surface can starve the roots from essential elements like sun, air and water. The best time to aerate your lawn is in the fall. Grass can heal and fill open areas more quickly once soil plugs are removed.

The easiest way to aerate your lawn is to purchase or rent a gas-powered aerator from your local hardware store. Smaller lawns can be aerated but renting a aerater but you might want to hire a professIona instead of spending an entire day running a aerator and doing it yourself.


Gutter Cleaning


Fall leaves might be beautiful to look at but they also have a bad habit of bunking your gutters up. Falling leaves ad twigs is the biggest culprit when it comes to gutter and down spout blockages. Leaves, twigs, branches and other debris can collect in gutters during the fall months leading to poor drainage that can damage your roof, gutters and even your foundation which could crack your foundation when it freezes and expands in the cold weather. Use the fall months to get ahead of spring thaw by cleaning the gutters.


Contact American Tree & Services today to schedule your free consultation







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