Leaf Cleanups in Roy, UT

A fall cleanup is really about what happens under the snow. Leaves left on a lawn mat down, hold moisture against the grass and block the light going into winter. Utah State University Extension warns about snow mold, a fungus that grows under snow cover and shows up after the melt as gray, matted circles. Clearing leaves and debris so the lawn can dry out is one of the simplest ways to stay out of trouble. Keeping the grass cut into late fall helps too, so it does not flop over under the first storm and stay wet until March.

Timing is the hard part, because trees do not drop on a schedule. A cleanup done while the big trees are still full just means a fresh layer next week. Later is usually better, as long as it lands before the snow that sticks. If your yard has a lot of trees, two passes can make more sense than one big one. The Census puts more than 5,700 of Roy's 13,600 homes before 1980, and yards that old tend to have trees that have had time to get big. Tell us what you have overhead and we can plan around it.

The lawn is only part of the job. Wind pushes leaves into beds, corners and fence lines, and that is where they sit wet all winter. Come spring, that same pile is a slick mat on top of the plants trying to come up, and it is the first place weeds get started. A spring cleanup takes care of what the snow left behind, so the yard is ready for the first mow. If you see gray patches in the lawn after the melt, do not panic. The grass usually grows back as it warms up, and clearing off the matted leaves helps it along.