Fall is when you put your lawn to bed for winter — and what you do now determines how well it survives the cold and how fast it greens up in spring. Here's the complete fall cleanup guide for Calgary homeowners.
1. Keep mowing. Don't stop mowing just because it's fall. Keep cutting at your normal height until the grass stops growing — usually late October in Calgary. Mowing too short going into winter stresses the lawn; mowing too long invites snow mold.
2. Clear the leaves. A mat of wet leaves left on the lawn all winter smothers the grass and causes snow mold. Rake or blow leaves off the lawn as they fall, and do a final clear before the snow stays. Haul them away and recycle them — don't just blow them into the street.
3. Aerate if you missed spring. Fall is actually an excellent time to aerate Calgary lawns. The lawn is still actively growing, so it recovers quickly, and the open holes catch fall fertilizer and moisture.
4. Apply winterizer fertilizer. This is the most important feeding of the year. A fall winterizer, high in potassium, helps the lawn store energy and build root mass for winter. Apply in late September to early October while the grass is still growing.
5. Edge and clean beds. Cut crisp edges on garden beds, cut back perennials as needed, and clear dead annuals. A tidy landscape going into winter means less work in spring.
6. Final debris haul-away. Branches, leaves, dead plants, and yard waste should all be hauled off and recycled before the snow flies. At Jayz Landscaping & Snow Removal, we haul and recycle 100% of organic waste.
Do all six, and your lawn goes into winter healthy and comes out of it ready to thrive. Book your fall cleanup as part of our spring & fall cleanup package.