A little bit of rain is good for your yard. When it’s accompanied with strong winds, though, it can blow off tree branches, scatter debris across your lawn and even damage your grass.
And while you can’t control Mother Nature, you can minimize damage to your yard by cleaning it. Here are five tips to follow when cleaning up your yard after a storm.
#1) Check Trees
First and foremost, take a few minutes to check your trees. Severe storms can uproot mature trees, causing them to fall or lean. If a tree is leaning over your house it needs to be removed as soon as possible. Otherwise, it may fall and damage your house. Don’t leave leaning trees standing on your property after a storm.
#2) Clean Gutters
Depending on your home’s proximity to nearby trees, you may need to clean your gutters after a storm. Storms can knock off branches and leaves from trees, with this debris accumulating in your gutters.
As your gutters become clogged, water is no longer able to drain off your roof and away from your home. So, check your gutters after a storm to see if they need cleaning.
#3) Pick Up Branches
Now comes the not-so-fun task of picking up branches. Storms are almost certain to leave branches scattered across your lawn. Neglecting to pick them up encourages bacterial and fungal disease, as disease-causing microbes feast on the organic matter of the decaying wood.
While wearing a pair of gloves, walk across your lawn and pick up any fallen branches or limbs. Once removed, you can either burn this debris – assuming it’s allowed in your area – or take it to a local landfill.
#4) Rake Your Lawn
After cleaning tree branches from your lawn, you should go over it with a rake to remove any leaves, twigs and smaller pieces of debris. Small debris such as this blocks out sunlight and traps moisture.
If your grass doesn’t get enough sunlight, it may die. And if it gets too much moisture, it may develop a disease.
#5) Reseed If Needed
You may need to reseed your lawn depending on the severity of the damage. If a storm left one or more areas of your lawn waterlogged, for example, the grass here will likely die. To restore your lawn back to its original health, apply a 50-50 mixture of fertilizer and grass seed.
The Woodsman Company offers tree planting, tree pruning and shrub trimming, tree removal and stump grinding as well as a tree wellness program.
If we can help with any of your tree care needs give us a call at 512-846-2535 or 512-940-0799 or
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