For tips on how to keep your lawn at its healthiest this fall, we're talking with Dan Reinhart, senior product manager at DR Power Equipment.
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00:00FALL BRINGS CRISP WEATHER AND COLORFUL FOLIAGE, BUT WHEN THOSE LEAVES DROP, YOU NEED A LAWN
00:09CARE PLAN TO PROTECT YOUR YARD.
00:11DAN REINHART, SENIOR PRODUCT MANAGER OF DR POWER, JOINS US NOW WITH SOME EASY FALL LAWN
00:18CARE TIPS.
00:19WELCOME, DAN.
00:20THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.
00:23YEAH, THANK YOU, BRIE.
00:25OKAY, RIGHT DOWN TO IT.
00:27FOR SAFETY AND LAWN HEALTH, WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT TO KEEP YOUR LAWN FREE OF LEAVES?
00:33YEAH, SO THERE'S A NUMBER OF REASONS, ASIDE FROM JUST A GENERAL ESTHETIC.
00:39REMOVING LEAVES FROM YOUR LAWN NOT ONLY ALLOWS MORE SUNLIGHT TO REACH YOUR GRASS, BUT ALSO
00:44ALLOWS MOISTURE TO REACH THE SOIL AND PROMOTES PROPER AIR FLOW, KEEPING THE LAWN KILLING
00:48MOLD AND FUNGUS AT BAY.
00:51THICK LEAF LAYERS CAN ALSO PROVIDE COVER FOR RODENTS, TICKS, AND OTHER PETS THAT WE JUST
00:55REALLY DON'T WANT AROUND OUR HOMES.
00:58WET LEAVES CAN ALSO BE A SAFETY HAZARD, CREATING SLICK CONDITIONS ON DECKS, STAIRS, AND WALKWAYS.
01:04UNFORTUNATELY, THERE'S PLENTY OF WAYS TO REMOVE THE LEAVES FROM YOUR PROPERTY.
01:09YOU CAN SIMPLY RAKE LEAVES INTO PILES TO BE COLLECTED AND REMOVED OR INVEST IN A PRODUCT
01:14LIKE A DR LEAF AND LAWN VAC THAT WORKS SIMILARLY TO YOUR INDOOR VACCUM, SUCKING UP LEAVES AND
01:19OTHER YARD DEBRIS SO YOU CAN EASILY DISPOSE OF IT LATER.
01:23NOW, HOW DO YOU DECIDE THE BEST WAY TO REMOVE LEAVES FROM YOUR YARD?
01:27Yeah, absolutely.
01:28So, really, it's very specific to your property and what meets your needs, but a couple of
01:36things to help you determine that best leaf and lawn vac solution is, you know, first,
01:42how much time and effort do you want to spend picking up leaves each week?
01:46Raking certainly is the least expensive method in terms of dollars and cents, but also takes
01:51the most time and can be fatiguing, especially on your back and shoulders, particularly in
01:56areas with dense leaf growth.
01:59Second, there certainly is a consideration of where will you put the leaves that you
02:05collect.
02:06Now, some homeowners with large wooded properties may have an area that they can deposit large
02:11piles of that collected leaves and allow them to break down naturally, in which case a tow
02:16behind DR leaf vac is a great solution.
02:20People with smaller properties, you may want to compost everything or bag up the leaves
02:25and utilize their local municipality to pick up those bagged leaves.
02:29In this case, a walk behind machine, particularly one that accepts standard municipal leaf bags
02:35is a great option.
02:37That way you can pick everything up in one step and bring it to the curb for curbside.
02:42Great.
02:43And what are some of DR's other lawn maintenance tips to keep your grass healthy and your yard
02:49ready for winter?
02:51Yeah, so we think of springtime as a prime time to seed and fertilize our lawn, which
02:58is definitely true.
02:59However, in the fall is also a great time to replenish your lawn after a tough season
03:04with lots of foot traffic and just summer exposure.
03:08So it's a good time to aerate, overseed and add fertilizer to fill in some thin spots,
03:13strengthen your lawn roots for the winter.
03:17And really to do that, you're looking at filling your spreader with a high quality
03:20grass seed that matches your existing lawn type.
03:24And it's also well suited for the amount of light and moisture that your typical yard
03:28gets.
03:30Seeds that offer a mix of grasses are definitely a great option as they give you thorough coverage
03:35throughout the growing season.
03:37And then once the seed is down, it's a good time to fill your spreader with fertilizer.
03:43We recommend controlled release fertilizer with the right mix of nutrients for your grass
03:47type.
03:48And then the last recommendation I'd give is to mow your grass around two to three inches
03:54high, so a little bit shorter than you would during the regular summer season.
03:58This helps you hit that sweet spot where everything stays dry to limit the spread of disease without
04:03going so short that you risk cold temperatures stressing the grass roots that you just spent
04:08all that time and effort to boost.
04:12That information.
04:13You heard it here, folks.
04:14Dan Reinhart, Senior Product Manager of D.R. Power, thank you again for joining us.