Fall heralds the coming of winter and the holiday season, after which comes spring. Spring is when your effort, or lack thereof, shows up on your lawn.
As a result, fall is the best time to carry out various maintenance practices before you get caught up in the busy rush of the holiday season. Caring for your lawn in the fall takes deliberate effort. Here are some tips to guide you:
Clear the Fallen Leaves
Many tree and plant species shed their leaves in the fall, leaving your yard carrying a colorful carpet of leaves. However, leaving the leaves the way they are is not ideal, as they prevent light from reaching the lawn and trap moisture.
Fall is the time to rake the leaves away. Do this as regularly as your trees shed leaves. If you don’t, by the time spring comes, the turf will be unpleasantly soggy.
Aerate Compacted Soil
Compacted soil hampers root development and soil aeration. You can create soil openings using core aerators, which improve compaction by eliminating small cores or plugs in your lawn.
Aeration before fertilizing is ideal, as the newly created holes will allow the fertilizer to get deep into the roots, where it will be most beneficial.
Fertilize the Lawn
Fertilizing your lawn in the fall differs from how it’s done in regular seasons. With the summer dormancy behind them, fall grasses will benefit from fertilizing about six weeks before the initial snows and frost.
Use a nitrogen-rich fertilizer to increase the turf’s energy reserves, help the grass establish strong roots, and help the lawn survive the winter.
Trim to the Correct Height
Keep mowing regularly, as the grass will keep growing till the first hard frost of winter comes around. When cutting the grass, keep the length to about 2½- to 3-inch. Anything longer will leave the turf vulnerable to snow mold, and leaving it too short will affect your lawn’s ability to withstand dryness and freezing temperatures.
Regular mowing is also a way to make something out of the leaf carpet, turning it into soil-enriching mulch.
Don’t Stop Watering
As long as the grass keeps growing, which it does in the fall, it needs regular watering. In the fall, you can stretch out regular watering, gradually reducing the frequency and letting occasional rainfall do the rest.
As the growth slows with the coming of winter, your lawn will require at least an inch of water over between 10 and 14 days rather than weekly.
Don’t Stop Weeding
The weeds aren’t letting up even in the fall, so you must remove them as often as they crop up. So, use weed and feed fertilizer to help you eliminate them. If your lawn has tough weeds, tackle them with targeted spot treatments and avoid newly seeded areas.
Care For Your Lawn This Fall and Beyond
Leaving your lawn properly tended throughout the fall will have it looking like a mess when spring rolls around. Then, you have to spend more money and time restoring it to prime condition.
Lawn maintenance is best done by professionals who know precisely what it takes to keep your lawn in prime condition throughout the fall and beyond. Contact us today to get professional lawn care.