The leaves are falling faster and the grass is growing slower, which means it’s time for you to spend some quality time out in the yard — maybe for the final time in 2026. While seeding those bare spots in the lawn will have to wait until spring (the window closed on that task in mid-September), there are still steps you can take to help your yard make it through another Wisconsin winter.
Here are three suggestions:
1. Prep the lawn before the leaves fall.
According to Bruce Spangenberg, a horticulture outreach specialist with the UW-Madison Division of Extension, core aerating — a process that extracts plugs of soil from the lawn to increase air flow — can be done throughout the month of October. “Many soil issues, including compaction, limited topsoil over underlying clay and poor surface drainage are improved by aerating,” he recently wrote. “These same soil issues also lead to thatch problems, which core aerating will also help solve. Lawn grasses will respond with improved root growth this fall.”
Spangenberg also suggests using herbicides this month for broadleaf weed control, provided weeds are still growing in your yard. “Read, understand and follow all label directions,” he cautions. “Liquid applied materials, sprayed directly on target weeds, work better than granular. Reduce the amount of herbicide applied by just spraying visible weeds, not lawn areas without any weeds.”
Bonus tip: Don’t forget to mow the grass a little shorter on your last mow of the year. Heavy snow can mat down tall grass, leading to snow mold in the spring.
2. Trim back bushes and other foliage.
October might be too late to do heavy or structural pruning on most plants, but that doesn’t mean you can’t tidy up trees and shrubs by removing dead, damaged, diseased or broken branches. This is especially critical for trees at risk of losing branches during a blizzard or ice storm — especially if they hang over your home or other structures. Trimming bushes and other shrubbery also will provide enhanced visibility near windows and driveways, as well as stop winter winds from disturbing the roots.
“Certain species, such as oaks, should only be pruned during the fall and winter dormant seasons to help prevent the spread of diseases like oak wilt,” according to Lawn Care Plus in Black Earth. “This destructive disease can spread through fresh pruning wounds during warmer months when insect activity is high, so cooler weather pruning is the safest option.”
Bonus tip: Avoid cutting maples and other sap-heavy trees that can leak excess sap late in the year.
3. Get rid of the leaves.
If your yard ends up smothered in leaves every fall, you might need to get out there multiple times. Thick layers (or piles) of leaves left on the lawn over the winter can smother grass, create snow mold, attract pests and lead to bare spots come spring. But that doesn’t mean you have to spend every weekend between now and Thanksgiving raking.
“Many homeowners simply rake the leaves, put them in bags and throw those bags away, destined to rot in a landfill. However, throwing away your fall leaves is essentially throwing away a free gardening tool. Not only that, but doing so is also pretty environmentally unfriendly,” according to Weather.com, which offers several alternatives to raking:
- Shred the leaves with a mower and spread them in garden beds or around trees and shrubs.
- Use whole leaves as filler in garden beds and potted plants.
- Add the leaves to your compost pile.
- Use leaves to help insulate perennial plants during the winter.
- Simply mow the leaves into your lawn as mulch to return nutrients and micro-organisms to the soil.
Bonus tip: If you live in an area prone to wildlife (and limited judgment from neighbors), consider leaving the leaves. Insects, frogs, toads, lizards and other creatures can “shelter in the leaf litter over winter … [and] benefit your garden by eating pests,” according to The Middle-Sized Garden. Leaves also can serve as a food source for a range of wildlife.
The clock is ticking on when south-central Wisconsin will receive its first measurable snowfall. So get out in the yard while you can.
Photo by Jesper Brouwers on Unsplash