Fall is the time of year that you should give your lawn the revitalization and repair it deserves. Treatments done in the Fall are investments in the lawns long-term health and overall appearance. They help the lawn to thrive throughout the year. Most people do not think to put so much time and energy into their lawn when it is about to endure the Winter months. However, the climate changes that come with this season make it the ideal time to prepare your lawn for Spring. It also gives the turf and root system time to develop and become stronger before the Summer months put stress on your lawn. Fall is when the grass is absorbing as much energy, moisture, and nutrients as it can in preparation for a dormant Winter. If you give the lawn the tools it needs now, it will end up paying you back tenfold in the Spring. You will be rewarded with a beautiful, healthy, and lush looking lawn. Here are a few things we can do to help prepare your lawn…
Tips to Maintain Your Lawn During the Fall
Aeration should be done annually to have a healthy lawn in the Spring. Aeration is the act of perforating the soils surface to provide an avenue for water, nutrients, and oxygen to get to the roots. This helps reduce thatch and alleviate soil compaction so that your lawn can grow in thick and have a strong root system.
Over Seeding is necessary. Why? After several years, mature plants begin to slow down their reproduction rate. Since a blade of grass lives only an average of 45 to 60 days, production of new tillers must continually replace older blades. Young grass will produce tillers faster than older grass. Therefore, one of the most important secrets to maintaining a healthy, thick lawn is to make sure your grass is young. Seeding will help reinvigorate your lawn, fill in bare spots, thicken and improve the density of the lawn (especially thinning or bare lawns), and help the lawn fight off any damaging diseases, insects, or weeds.
Over Seeding must be done in conjunction with aeration for optimal seed to soil contact.
Fertilizing is an important element of lawn care, even in the Fall. If you do not fertilize your lawn year-round, many lawn experts agree that you should give the lawn at least one Fall fertilizing treatment. During this time of year, temperatures are starting to cool down and the grass will start to grow slower. The grass roots do not, however. They continue to grow quickly. A Fall fertilizer application delivers essential nutrients for the grass to continue to develop deep roots and to keep nutrients on reserve for a healthy start in the Spring.
Fall Clean Up’s are also essential to your lawn’s health. During this time, trees and plants are losing their leaves. Acorns and pinecones are falling. Taking this debris off the lawn is especially important for the lawn’s health. If you do not do a cleanup, it can cause various lawn diseases and fungal issues which can take time and be costly to fix. The leaves get wet from morning dew or from the rain and will act as a barrier between the grass and the sun. The grass does not get the chance to breathe, causing it to dry out and not have a chance to get the proper nutrients it needs.
Common Mistakes to Avoid in the Fall
The most common mistake homeowners make is to stop mowing and watering the lawn regularly during this time. Just because it’s getting cooler and Winter is approaching does not mean that your lawn doesn’t need the same attention as it did during the warmer months. You should keep watering regularly. It is a good idea to gradually lower the mower blades cutting height. You should mow the lawn as needed, around 3.5 inches to begin with. Then slowly lower the height toward the end of the Fall, making the last cut before Winter around 2.5 inches high. Keep in mind that you should never trim off more than one third of the grass blade during a single mowing.
