A Healthier, Happier Lawn
With Yard Guard!

Author: Sidne

Fall Mowing Recommendations

I bet you’re excited to stop mowing soon, but please don’t put those mowers away just yet. We have a couple fall mowing recommendations that will help set your lawn up for success next spring and summer.

Your lawn is just starting to thrive again after struggling through the heat of the summer. The cool nights and shorter days are allowing it to go through another growing cycle before going dormant in the next couple of months. This is the most important time of year for all plants – they are sending energy down to their roots as storage for next year. Even though you don’t see a ton of top growth, plants (including lawns) are really active late into fall.
Side note: this is why it’s so important to get a fall fertilization before the lawn goes dormant, it needs the nutrients while it’s pushing growth and to overwinter well. 

We recommend continuing to mow your lawn as normal: once a week, ensuring the height is at 3.5-4” until it starts to go dormant. Once it’s fully dormant, lower your mower to 2 inches and bag the clippings. This final cut helps reduce the risk of snow mold and eliminates habitat for voles, while still providing enough protection for your soil and roots through winter.

When your lawn goes dormant truly depends on the time of year (mostly soil temperature) and how much moisture the lawn is getting, but typically you’re going to be looking at the end of October/beginning of November for lawns in the Gallatin and Park counties. A good rule of thumb: after the first snow that melts away, it’s time for that last mow of the season.

P.S.: Please be sure to remove the leaves that are on your lawn. As a rule of thumb 20% coverage of the lawn is fine, anything over that could create disease issues in the coming year. Read more about that specific topic here: To Rake or Not to Rake.

To summarize our fall mowing recommendations: 

  • Mow your lawn as normal until it starts to go dormant. 3.5-4” height is preferred
  • Once fully dormant, lower the mower to 2” and bag the clippings to reduce vole habitat and risk of disease in the future year. (around Halloween)
  • Pick up at least 70% of the leaves on your lawn. 
  • DON’T skip your last fertilization app!

When Is the Best Time to Aerate Your Lawn?

Timing is key when it comes to aeration. Before you schedule an aeration service or rent a machine for some DIY fun, let’s talk about when and how to aerate for the best results.

Here in Montana, most desirable lawns are a blend of Kentucky Bluegrass and Fescue. These are cool-season grasses, which means they thrive in spring and fall when temperatures are cooler. Knowing this is the first step in choosing not only when to aerate, but also which aeration method is right for your lawn.

Two Common Aeration Methods

1. Mechanical (Core) Aeration

This is the traditional method you may already be familiar with – the one that leaves little soil plugs scattered across your lawn. Core aeration works by pulling out plugs to allow air, water, and nutrients to penetrate the soil.

While effective, mechanical aeration has its drawbacks:

  • It can leave your lawn looking messy for a short period.
  • It carries a risk of puncturing sprinkler heads if they’re not flagged.
  • It provides a fast but usually short term result unless you change soil structure (adding organic material or needed nutrients) 

Core Aeration
(Aeration Plug)

2.Liquid Aeration (Our Method at Yard Guard)

Liquid aeration takes a more organic, biology-first approach. Instead of poking holes, we feed the soil so it naturally loosens over time.

Here’s how it works:

  • We brew a living compost tea from locally sourced compost from Yes Compost.
  • The tea is applied in the summer, when warm soil provides the perfect environment for beneficial microbes to thrive.
  • When paired with our Blended Organic or Full Organic Programs, which also replenishes your soil’s nutrients, these organisms create a healthy ecosystem that naturally decompacts soil and increases carbon levels without leaving messy soil plugs behind.

Think of a forest floor. It never becomes compacted because it’s continuously fed by leaves, organic matter, and carbon. Liquid aeration mimics this natural process to create a stronger, more resilient lawn.

When Should You Aerate in Montana?

It depends on which method you choose!

  • For Mechanical Aeration, we recommend Late Fall:
    The grass is actively growing and repairing after summer stress and there is much less weed pressure to compete with your growing grass. We also don’t love applying weed control to newly exposed roots as it can cause stress to those roots. Aerating in the late fall gives your lawn time to strengthen its root system before winter. 
  • Fall is also the perfect time to reseed or overseed your lawn too! Cooler temperatures reduce stress on new grass, weed pressure is low (especially if you’re on a lawn care program), and dormant seeding is highly effective. Our final fall fertilizer application also supports strong root growth and encourages new seedlings to thrive.
  • For Liquid Aeration, we recommend Summer:
    The soil is warm and is perfect for microbial activity, allowing them to create a habitat that is decompacted and well nourished. Doing this in the summer will also help your watering be more effective during the most stressful point for cool-season grasses.

Pro Tip: If you choose mechanical aeration, schedule it for fall for the best long-term results. If you opt for liquid aeration, summer applications work beautifully since the warm soil gives the living biology the best chance to thrive.

By pairing the right timing with the right aeration method, your lawn will stay healthier, less compacted, and more resilient season after season.

3 Mowing Tips to Keep Your Grass Greener on Both Sides

Now that spring has sprung and everything is beginning to bloom, we hope you were able to get in one good close cut to rid your lawn of its dormant brown blades. If not, it’s not too late to start a regular mowing schedule to get you grass in tip top shape this season. 

As you prepare for greatness, there are three things that we want you to keep in mind for each mowing session: keep your deck high, more frequent cuts, and sharp blades. Focusing on these three things, along with a great watering schedule and the added bonus of our lawn care services, will be all you need this season to keep your lawn vibrant and green as it continues to grow. 

Keep your mower deck high
Leaving your grass to grow too long can create a breeding ground for pests as well as fungal issues caused by a lack of air circulation in densely packed grass. On the other hand, cutting grass too short leaves it vulnerable to weed infestation, drought, and diseases. Removing more than ⅓ of the height of a blade of grass at one time not only stresses the grass, but it also leaves the grass with too little surface area for it to photosynthesize. This is known as the “one-third rule,” and in order to make sure you only cut ⅓ or less of your grass blade each time, your deck needs to be set high. Depending on the type of mower you have, your deck should be set to a height that will keep your grass blades between 3 ½  to 4 inches high after trimming. This is the generally accepted height range for grass that is neither too short nor too long.    

More Frequent Cuts
Spring is the peak growing season for your lawn, so it grows back just as fast as you cut it. This alone makes more frequent cuts a necessity, but it also goes hand in hand with keeping your deck high. We know, we know. With busy work schedules and balancing every other responsibility that you have, cutting the grass more often was probably the last thing you wanted to hear. But, there’s no way around this one. If you want to maintain grass that has a healthy root system, you must cut small amounts at a time and do so more often. This is important for the one-third rule that we just talked about, as well as the fact that the roots of a blade of grass mimic the leaf that is above ground. We want to encourage a thriving root system, and this can be done by cutting your lawn more often so that you’re creating a consistent mowing height which reduces stress on the grass as well.  A cool side effect of this, is the fact that these smaller clippings also decompose quicker and provide nutrients to the lawn that act as a natural fertilizer to your grass. Trimming your lawn 1-2 times per week should do the trick. As we progress into summer, this schedule will become much less frequent, and the cooler days and nights in the fall will start to push more growth for these cool-season Montana grasses. 

Sharp blades
The sharper the blades, the cleaner the cut! Plain and simple. If your blades are dull or they haven’t been replaced in a while, this may be the reason why your grass is yellow. Dull blades rip and tear at your grass instead of clipping it neatly and evenly. These ragged edges are now susceptible to disease and dehydration. Make sure your blades are up to par before every mowing session to prevent these tears and the yellowing that is sure to follow.

Now that you have these tips in your back pocket, the next steps would be to add in a consistent watering schedule and supplement with nutrients from one of our programs. Reach out to us to see what else you could be doing to get your lawn a cut above the rest.

Liquid Aeration

If you’ve been keeping up with the blog (which we know you have because you love it here :)) then you already know a little bit about aeration. Whether you aerate mechanically, with a liquid solution, or a mixture of both, aeration can be a major component to maintaining a lush, green lawn. There’s a reason golf course greens aerate once a month in the summer! Today we’re going to dive deeper into the liquid aeration that we offer here at Yard Guard, also known as our Compost Tea. We’ll give you the “tea” on what it’s made of, where we get our locally sourced ingredients, why we recommend this treatment, and how often. 

General construction, playful kids and pets, and everyday use (anything as simple as walking on your grass) compacts your soil. Compacted soil reduces the ability for oxygen, water, and nutrients to get to your grass’s roots. The best way to decompact the soil is through mechanical or liquid aeration. While mechanical aeration pulls out plugs to decompact the soil and can leave your lawn looking like your dog gifted you with forbidden chocolate, liquid aeration is a much less invasive process. Liquid aeration uses a solution comprised of acids and carbon that work together to make small air pockets in compacted soil. These air pockets allow oxygen and nutrients to penetrate to the root zone of the soil to nourish your grass’s roots and give your grass a fighting chance against weeds, pests, and diseases.  

Compost Tea is how Yard Guard does liquid aeration. We start with locally sourced compost from YES Compost. YES Compost redirects food waste that would normally be dumped into the landfills and uses worms to transform it into organic matter that is packed with nutrients and beneficial microorganisms. We then take this compost and blend in premium worm castings (also sourced from YES Compost) and extract the best parts by brewing a concentrated elixir that is packed with fungal acids, humic acids, amino acids, and micronutrients. Not only does this liquid brew nourish your soil, but it also aerates it, introduces helpful bacteria that strengthen the existing microbial community, and restores the missing organic material that is causing those stubborn brown and yellow patches that we all hate. It changes and improves the structure of the soil while also allowing for better water and nutrient absorption that reduces the need for excessive watering. Compost Tea is the sustainable, minimally invasive, and chemical free way to introduce beneficial microbes that strengthen the soil while fostering a safer environment for your family and pets. 

Now that we’ve given you the rundown on how we do liquid aeration and hopefully answered any questions you may have had about what you can do for your lawn, here is our recommendation. We recommend aeration on a yearly basis. Especially Liquid Aeration. We also recommend pairing our Blended Organic lawn care program with Liquid Aeration for the best results that will get you on a quick path to repairing your soil organically and keeping your grass green and weed free. 

To Rake or Not to Rake: Should You Pick Up Fall Leaves or Let Them Be?

I assume you’re looking at your yard, just like I’m looking at mine and wondering “do I really need to rake up these leaves, or will they be fine?” If you’re asking this question and wondering if you could free up your weekends from some yard cleanup, keep reading for your best practice this year. 

There are two main factors that contribute to making this decision. The first one is how many leaves are covering your lawn and the second is whether your trees had any foliar fungal diseases this year. 

Leaf Coverage
If your lawn has about 20% leaf coverage, you’re good to go! At this level, the leaves can still move around with the wind, break down naturally, and add nutrients to the soil. You’ll know it’s around 20% if you can clearly see most of the grass peeking through the leaves.

At 50% coverage, it’s still okay, but this is the point where we suggest a mow to mulch the leaves. Chopping them up will help them decompose faster, enriching the soil as organic matter. 

Once you go over 50% leaf coverage, it’s best to remove the excess until you’re back under that 50% threshold. Too many leaves can create a cozy winter haven for voles and suffocate your lawn, stunting its spring growth and potentially making it struggle to thrive all summer.

Leaving a manageable layer of leaves on the lawn is an easy way to return nutrients to the soil and encourage a healthier lawn. Just keep an eye on the coverage to avoid issues and enjoy a greener, stronger lawn!

Disease Management
The second factor that will aid in the decision is whether your trees had a foliar fungal disease. If your aspen trees were affected by Marssonina Leaf Spot, you’ll want to remove the leaves immediately so the disease doesn’t spread to your other trees or neighboring properties. Any other foliar fungal diseases need to be treated the same way. 

Evergreen trees don’t require as much concern, unless they have/had the fungal disease, needle cast. Be sure to pick up the needles immediately to prevent continued spread. 

If your trees suffer from any of these fungal diseases, give us a call and we can do a diagnosis and put together a treatment plan. If you’re not sure, we’ll have a consulting arborist come out and do a property walkthrough.

Getting Rid of Yard Waste
If you would rather pick up your leaves and dispose of them, I’ve listed a couple options for the local towns to utilize when getting rid of yard waste. Please see below: 

Bozeman
If you live in the city of Bozeman, they offer a leaf pickup service for certain areas of town on certain days. Click on the link for a full visual of the map and when your neighborhood is scheduled for leaf pickup. 

Second, the Bozeman Convenience Site is accepting compost material such as “grass, leaves, straw, manure, garden remains, plant trimmings, branches less than 1/4″ diameter, etc.” Their rate is $15/ton (as of 2024).  

Livingston
The city of Livingston is hosting their Leaf Collection Day on Nov 14th – all of your material needs to be out by 5:00 AM.

Belgrade
Everything can be directed to the Bozeman Convenience Site or the Logan Landfill

Once all your leaves have fallen and you’re only looking at about 20% coverage on your lawn, you’re good to go, find something much more fun to do on the weekend! 50% or so, just give it a quick mow to mulch up the leaves and over 50%, it looks like you’re going to be picking up leaves or call one of the awesome Lawn Maintenance companies in town to see if they offer a fall cleanup service and let them do it for you!

 

Yard Guard Staff’s Favorite Fall Activities

As we begin our descent out of summer and into fall (and immediately to winter), we thought it would be fun to share with you our staff’s favorite fall activities so you can get to know them better and see if you have anything in common!

 

 

Sydney (Customer Service Representative)
Her favorite activity in general is hiking and backpacking, but specifically in the fall, she can see the leaves changing and feel the cold weather on her skin and embrace the beautiful views!

 

 

Daniel (Lawn Technician)
Daniel just moved to Montana from Florida and so he has yet to experience a Montana fall, but his favorite fall activity is to go to the pumpkin patch and pick out the best pumpkin! He thinks his favorite activity is going to change to hiking after this season! 

 

 

 

Keri (Customer Service Representative)
“Fall is my fave time to visit Yellowstone! We always have people come to visit in what I think is Montana’s best season and I love taking them to Yellowstone because it’s crisp and cool and beautiful! And the crowds have died down, which I love! The perfect fall day for me is a trip to Yellowstone with some kind of picnic (like sandwiches from Mamma Macs) and some friends to hike around with! Add an afternoon thunderstorm and I’m in heaven!” ~Keri 

 

 

 

Colin (Owner)
Colin had a hard time deciding what his favorite was so he decided to choose two. First, Colin pretty much loves mountain biking at any time when he can during the year, but particularly loves mountain biking in the fall because it’s cooler and a different kind of beautiful! Second, you can’t keep this guy from skiing year round. He loves water skiing especially in the fall because the water is warm and there is less of a crowd on the lake!

 

 

Sidne (Office Manager)
I feel the same way that Colin does where it’s hard to choose. I love backpacking and hiking in the fall, just like a lot of our staff. In the fall, I feel like the competition is reduced for the best camp spots! I love cooking with the fall vegetables. Everything is so fresh and tasty and goes so well together (fall veggies hash with some chorizo is my fave!). I love walking outside to the crisp fall morning, I think it just has such a fresh smell, if I could spend my time in the fall at a cabin, I totally would. 

 

 

Gregg (Lawn Technician)
Gregg loves Harry Potter (don’t we all?) and specifically loves to binge watch the movies while it’s snowing outside. Not to mention all of the sweet fall treats. Anything with apple and cinnamon is a particular favorite! 

 

Carly (Dispatcher)
“One thing I love to do in the fall is make Halloween costumes! It was my mother who really started this tradition. When I was a kid she would take me and my 2 siblings to the craft store each fall to pick out costume patterns and fabrics. It was so special having a unique handmade outfit. As I grew older, she taught me how to use the sewing machine and I continue to make my own costumes to this day. I believe you are never too old to dress up!” ~Carly

 

 

 

Will (Consulting Arborist and Vendor Relationships)
“Hiking in New England! I love the colors of the fall foliage in the Northeast and visiting family out there when the leaves are changing colors.” ~Will

 

 

Nate (Lawn and Tree Technician)
We have a bit of a theme that runs through our team! Nate also loves hiking in the fall because the temperatures start to cool down and the colors are beautiful! 

 

 

Mickey (Lawn Technician)
It’s funny, I asked everyone separately what they love to do and the hiking just seem to be the mainstay answer! Mickey also loves hiking in the fall because it starts to cool down! She’s not a huge fan of the hot temps so she would prefer not to walk up a mountain at that time!

 

 

 

Logan (Lawn Technician)
When I asked Logan, I don’t think he even took a second to think, I asked “What’s your favorite fall act—HUNTING!” Logan said. I can tell he’s looking forward to getting out in the mountains and enjoying the quiet of nature!

 

 

 

Addy (Lawn Technician)
Addy had a fun answer! Her dad hosts a spectacular Halloween party every year and sometimes incorporates his family as props. One year, her and her sister were put on a pulley like system and dressed up as skeletons and when one person would jump down, the other would float back up and vice versa. (How do I get an invite, Addy?)

 

 

Dane (Floater)
Dane is a friend of Colin’s that’s joining us for a couple of weeks this season between some trips that he has planned to help with whatever he can. He loves ice climbing in the fall because there’s only some locations where the ice is established enough to climb and you need to walk 14-15+ miles to get to the climb itself. He has done a fall ice climb near Big Sky so often that his feedback and insight was sought after by a guidebook because he understands the conditions from year to year the best! Very cool.

 

 

 

Noah (Lawn Technician)
Noah is a busy guy in the fall. “Ooo that’s a tough one. Working out, duck hunting, deer, snatching up any last trout, and until there’s snow, golfing and running calls.” ~Noah

 

 

 

Sammy (Lawn Technician)
Bonfires, Rocky Creek Farm, and Football!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tommy (Lawn Technician)
We have another vote for hunting! Again, being able to be out in the wilderness and enjoy the peace and quiet of nature is always a great luxury. I don’t know about you guys, but I can’t even see Tommy in this photo. 

 

 

 

 

George (Lawn Technician)
“My favorite fall activity is hiking. It’s the perfect time because it’s not too hot, there’s not snow to block access and it’s not a super busy season.” ~George

 

 

 

Pearson (Liquid Aeration Technician)
“One of my favorite fall activities is going up into the mountains to do a little off-roading and see all the Fall foliage, specifically in a Land Rover!” ~Pearson

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