Fall garden chores should include raking leaves and preparing lawns for winter.

According to horticulturists with Iowa State University Extension, a layer of leaves left on lawns will damage and possibly destroy turfgrass plants. Leaves should be raked and disposed of, or small amounts can be shredded by a lawnmower and left on the grass. While turfgrass stops growing in late fall, the roots still absorb and use nutrients. It’s also advised that an application of fertilizer in early November helps “promote root growth and an early green up the following spring.”