5 Essential Fall Tips to Prepare Your Michigan Landscape & Hardscape for Winter
- Salzman Services
- Sep 9
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 15
As the crisp autumn air arrives in Michigan, it's easy to think that yard work is over for the year. But the work you do in the fall is a direct investment in the health and beauty of your landscape next spring. A little preparation now can prevent costly damage and ensure your outdoor spaces emerge from the winter stronger than ever.
To make it easy, we've created a simple checklist of the five most critical tasks to prepare your entire property—from your lawn to your paver patio—for the harsh winter ahead.
Your Fall Maintenance Planner
Task | Why It's Critical | When to Do It (in MI) |
1. Inspect & Clean Hardscapes | Prevents stains and winter damage. | Late September - October |
2. Feed Your Lawn | Promotes strong root growth for a greener spring. | September |
3. Prune & Protect Plants | Encourages healthy spring growth & prevents snow damage. | October - November |
4. Manage Leaves & Debris | Prevents lawn suffocation and snow mold. | As needed, until first snow |
5. Check Gutters & Drainage | Protects your foundation and hardscapes from water damage. | After most leaves have fallen |
1. Inspect & Clean Your Hardscapes
Winter is tough on paver patios and walkways. Before the first freeze, remove all furniture and planters and give your hardscapes a thorough sweeping and rinsing to remove any dirt, leaves, or stains from summer. This is also the perfect time to do a quick inspection. Look for any settled pavers or joints where the polymeric sand may have washed out. Addressing these small issues now prevents them from becoming bigger problems after months of snow and ice.
2. Feed Your Lawn for a Healthier Spring
If you only fertilize your lawn once a year, fall is the time to do it. A "winterizer" fertilizer application provides your turf with the essential nutrients it needs to develop a deep, strong root system over the winter. This results in a thicker, greener, and healthier lawn that is better equipped to choke out weeds when spring arrives.
3. Prune Perennials & Protect Shrubs
After the first hard frost, it's time to cut back herbaceous perennials like Hostas and Daylilies. This cleans up your garden beds and prevents diseases from overwintering on dead foliage. For more delicate or young evergreen shrubs like boxwoods, consider wrapping them in burlap. This prevents heavy, wet snow from accumulating and breaking their branches over the winter.
4. Don't Let the Leaves Sit
Letting a thick, wet layer of leaves sit on your lawn all winter is a recipe for disaster. It suffocates the grass by blocking critical sunlight and air, and it creates a perfect breeding ground for damaging fungal diseases like snow mold. Keeping your lawn clear of heavy leaf cover until the first snowfall is one of the most important parts of fall cleanup.
5. Check Your Gutters and Drainage
This is the task that protects everything else. Clogged gutters can cause water to overflow and saturate the ground directly beside your home's foundation and your expensive hardscapes. This uncontrolled water flow can erode the crucial base material beneath your patios and walkways, leading to sinking, shifting, and costly future repairs. Ensuring your gutters are clean and directing water away from these areas is critical to protecting your investment.
Comments