Continue to cut your lawn until it stops growing. This usually occurs around Thanksgiving. Leave your lawn cut to 2 -1/2” for winter. All homeowners who are applying the Ohio State University lawn 3 Step Fertilizer recommendations should be applying your third and final application for the year of high nitrogen, quick release lawn food. You might take your mower in for service now to beat the early spring rush. Be sure to have them sharpen the blade/blades. You can aerate your lawn through late fall until the ground freezes. Do not put any grass seed down until late winter, around late February to early March.

Leave all roses tall for winter, at least 24 to 30” high. Do not prune any roses until the leaves fall which could be mid-December. Do not prune climbers at all. They will bloom next year on the canes that grew this year. All roses except Knock Outs & other shrub roses) should be mulched up with soil, mulch, or leaves 6-8” up all the canes. Again, do this when all the rose leaves have fallen. Do NOT use Rose Cones. You have to cut your Roses back too far to get the cone to fit over the Rose. Collect as many of this past seasons rose leaves and give them to Rumpke. This will take a lot of future problems with black spot away. Any Knock Out or other roses that have been put in patio pots for the season should be placed in an unheated garage for the winter.

Remember, you can continue to plant trees, shrubs, and spring flowering bulbs this year until the ground freezes. Some leaves are falling late this fall due to the beautiful fall weather. They still have to be removed from the lawn. You can use your lawn mower as long as the chewed up leaves don’t completely cover the grass. Do not leave your leaves piled up around the trunk of your trees or piled up under you shrubs. You don’t want wet leaves against the trunks of your trees and shrubs. Remember, leaf composting is easy.