Tips for Fall Maintenance
Capitol Region Watershed District (CRWD) provides resources, training, and support to help Clean Water Project grantees care for their projects. Routine maintenance is an essential part of all clean water projects. You can use the tips and resources below to help your clean water project's maintenance needs.
Please contact CRWD with your project questions at info@capitolregionwd.org or 651-644-8888.
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Rain Gardens & Native Landscaping
- Make sure downspouts are directed toward rain garden inlets. Clean out the sump after rain events or once it is half full of dirt, leaves, or other debris. Make sure fallen leaves are not blocking your inlet.
- Add, move, or replace plants as needed. Fall is a great time to plant perennials since they will need less watering! Avoid bare spots in your garden where weeds can grow and choose native plants which have deeper root systems for soaking in water.
- Weed your rain garden at least once in the late summer or early fall around Labor Day. Avoid herbicide use.
- Decide whether to rake leaves and prune stems in the fall or the spring. Leaves and plant stalks can stay in the rain garden over winter to provide overwintering habitat for pollinators and other wildlife.
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Shoreline Restorations
- Monitor shoreline for new spots of erosion. Consider adding erosion control logs, rip rap, or plants to help stabilize soil.
- Weed at least once in the late summer or early fall around Labor Day. Avoid herbicide use.
- Leave vegetation in place over winter so it can provide a seed source for next year’s growth, provide food and habitat for wildlife, help cover the soil, and slow spring runoff.
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Permeable Hardscaping
- Examine pavers or pavement for places where dirt has built up.
- Rake, sweep or use a leaf blower to remove leaves off hardscaping to allow for water capture.
- Sweep or vacuum pavement or pavers at least once a year. Small driveways and sidewalks can be cleaned by sweeping or with a small shop vacuum. Regenerative air sweepers can be hired to clean large areas of permeable pavement.
- Pressure wash the spaces between the pavers in addition to vacuuming to remove even more buildup.
- After cleaning spaces between pavers, add more chip stones into the cracks.
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Green Roofs
- Weed as needed. Keep a close eye out for tree seedlings and remove them immediately, as tree roots can damage roofing components. Do not use herbicides, pesticides, or other chemicals that could affect the roof membrane.
- Remove any leaves that have blown into gutters and downspouts.
- Add, move, or replace plants as needed.
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Underground Infiltration (Dry Wells)
- Examine pretreatment and remove any trash, dirt, or debris that has built up.
- Look for evidence of standing water that remains over 48 hours after a rainstorm. If you see standing water, contact CRWD to help troubleshoot the issue.
- If included in the design, pipes should be jetted or hydro-vacced every other year or per manufacturer recommendations.
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Plant Selection & Maintenance
Plants are an important part of many clean water projects. The deep roots of native plants create space for water to soak into the soil and capture and filter pollutants. Native plants also require less maintenance, water and fertilizer than non-native plants and provide other benefits like food and habitat for wildlife and insects.
Look for details below about a native plant to consider for your garden and a weed to look for when doing your seasonal maintenance. Happy gardening!
This season’s plant highlights were written in part by CRWD’s 2023 RightTrack WaterCorps interns. Thanks, Ed & Bella!
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Native Plant Feature
Bee Balm or Bergamot
(Monarda fistulosa)
Bee Balm is a fragrant perennial in the Mint family that is native to prairies. It blooms between June and August and can be easily identified by its light purple flower, square stems with minty-smelling leaves, and height, which can be up to four feet. Pollinators are very fond of this plant, and it is tolerant of drought. Consider planting bee balm in the basin of your rain garden or along your shoreline!
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Bee balm's light purple flowers are popular with pollinators like this bumblebee.
Image: Bee Balm Closeup, Bella Bassat
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Weed Watch
Common Buckthorn
(Rhamnus cathartica)
Weeds can be defined in many ways, but in this case refer to a plant that spreads rapidly and outcompetes other plants and offers few benefits like habitat, food sources, or water quality improvement.
Buckthorn is a non-native plant that grows as a large shrub and can even grow the size of a small tree. It was originally introduced from Europe to be used in landscaping. The leaves are a glossy, dark green and the leaves are pointed at the tip. Buckthorn bark is grey with silvery horizontal pores called lenticels. It can be easier to spot in the late fall because its leaves stay green longer than most other trees and shrubs. Birds spread buckthorn by eating its dark blue berries that ripen August-September.
Buckthorn poses a problem because it reduces biodiversity by outcompeting other plants for light, nutrients, and moisture. It also contributes to erosion by shading out plants that would otherwise grow on the forest floor.
Removal is usually a multi-year effort since new plants will spread from dormant seed and cut stumps. Efforts should be made to disturb the soil as little as possible when removing plants. Depending on plant size, hand pulling, cutting, and herbicide treatment may be effective options for removal. It is also helpful to re-plant native shrubs and grasses in the area where buckthorn was removed to help prevent future regrowth. You can find more guidance on the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources' Buckthorn Management page.
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Buckthorn's dark blue berries ripen in August - September. The leaves are a glossy, dark green and the leaves are pointed at the tip.
Image: Adobe Stock
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Buckthorn bark is grey with silvery horizontal pores called lenticels.
Image: Buckthorn Bark, Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org
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Common buckthorn is easily found in late fall when many native shrubs and trees have lost their leaves. Common buckthorn will often have green leaves through November.
Image: Green Buckthorn in Late Fall, Steven Katovich, Bugwood.org
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