SPONSORED CONTENT -- (StatePoint) Fall means school is back in session, football season’s beginning, and your lawn is going to need some extra care to stay healthy through winter.

“With the change in seasons, your lawn care routine is also going to change to include less mowing and more dealing with leaves and debris,” says Nick Heiser, product manager at Exmark. “And if you’ve got a lot of debris and material to get up and off your lawn, you’re going to want to do that by bagging when you mow.”

In “Lawn Mowing Tips for Fall Yard Cleanup,” a video on Exmark’s Backyard Life site, Heiser explains that doing so might require switching out the type of blade you have on your mower. While most mowers come standard with high-lift notch blades, which are good for many cutting conditions, for heavy bagging, you should be using an extreme blade. This will do a few things for you:

• It will create an aggressive lift that creates the vacuum and suction needed to pull up debris.

• It will evenly cut up, break down and compact everything on your lawn to help the bagging system do its job more effectively.

Once you’ve cleared most of the debris, you should switch back to mulching for the last few cuts of the season to put nutrients back into the ground and allow the lawn to retain moisture. A micro mulch system, which is an easy-to-use and easy-to-install lawn mower accessory, provides an extra set of blades to break down clippings to a fine mulch, then directs the area of deposit, so you control where the mulch lands.

Finally, fall is the best time for aeration for cool-season grasses. Aeration is essential to ensuring that the roots of your lawn get plenty of air and the nutrients they need before winter.

To view the video, visit Exmark’s Backyard Life, a unique multimedia destination focused on helping homeowners improve their outdoor living spaces. There you can also download additional tips and view other Exmark Original Series videos.

Now that you’re armed with these fall yard cleanup tips, you can head out to take care of your lawn with confidence.