Most people don’t realize that to have a really great lawn, the secret isn’t in piling on extra fertilizer and watering as soon as the snow melts in spring. That’s right gardeners, the ugly words… lawn maintenance. The fact is that letting an unhealthy lawn lie over the winter can actually make them worse. But don’t worry! Using just a few lawn care tricks, you can have a yard wake up in spring to the green backdrop of a gorgeous lawn! So do you want a killer lawn? Then do this!
Fall Lawn Care Tricks
Kill Lawn Weeds
Been ignoring a dandelion problem? Hoping the crabgrass will “die off in the winter”? Nope, doesn’t work that way. Take care of your lawn weed problems now or it will be much worse in the spring. Weeds spend all fall absorbing energy, ready to attack with the first rays of spring sunshine. Use a liquid weed killer meant for lawns. Want natural weed killer alternatives? We’ve got plenty of options here. Photo by ‘Lawn Care Directory‘.
How to Aerate Your Lawn
Aerate your lawn to allow more water and nutrients to penetrate deeper into the soil. You can rent an aerator or, if you have a small lawn, use aerating sandals to penetrate the hardened summer ground. Aerating your lawn allows the roots to access oxygen and water more easily, allowing for a stronger root system. This will jump start your lawn growth in spring. Photo by ‘QTurf‘.
Fertilize Your Lawn for Fall Lawn Care
Most experts agree that when it comes to fall lawn care, the most important thing is using this time to fertilize. Mid to late fall, use a dry fertilizer over the entire lawn to encourage root growth. For a winterized lawn, specialized late season fertilizer is the the best choice, especially in cold winter areas. Photo by ‘Grateful Grass‘.
Reseeding a Lawn – Overseed Thin Spots
If you have a few areas that have gotten thin or have died off from underwatering, now is the time to overseed. Get the lawn ready to be in full growth in spring with a little fall lawn care. Buy a lawn patch product at the nursery or home improvement store. These are blends that already have mulch included. Rake the thin spot well, then lightly broadcast the seed and water well. Try to keep it watered daily until the fall rains take over. From ‘Hermes Landscaping‘.
Mow the Lawn Low
Adjust your mower height to mow lower than you did in summer. The idea is to gradually expose the base of the grass and allow more sunlight to reach it, preventing brown and mushy grass under snow and rain. Don’t cut it too short though, never less than 2 inches for most grasses.
Keep Watering that Grass!
Don’t stop watering your lawn until the fall rains have really taken over. Don’t water in the evenings in the fall, the cooler nights allow for fungus to grow. Basic lawn care means attending to the basic needs of the lawn, even in the fall!
Fall Lawn Care Clean Up – Rake Those Leaves!
I don’t blame you if that’s the last thing you want to hear…but here is the truth. If you leave those leaves on your lawn to compact all winter, you will find that your lawn has been destroyed in spring. But, they can be very useful as mulch when you do your fall garden cleanup! Photo from ‘HGTV‘.
Blow out your Irrigation System
If you have any kind of sprinkler or irrigation system, you are going to want to drain that system before the ground freezes. Most areas have services that will come to your home and use a truck mounted air compressor to blow out your systems for about $25 to $35. If you want to try it yourself, here is a great tutorial on fall sprinkler maintenance from ‘Irrigation Tutorials‘.
That’s it! Just because the grass starts growing more slowly above the ground in fall, doesn’t mean it grows slowly below the ground. And if you ignore that fact, your lawn will suffer from a poor root system in spring, resulting in a weak lawn prone to disease and weed growth. Just follow these fall lawn care steps to a killer spring lawn! And when you’re done, don’t forget to winterize those garden tools! Photo by ‘Greenview Fertilizer‘.
Looking for more than just fall lawn care ideas to improve your yard? Check out Outdoor Fall Decor, Classic Lawn Edging Ideas and Alternatives to Grass: Front Yard Landscaping Ideas! Also check out Fresh & Pretty Fall Wreath Ideas over at OhMeOhMy, and Fall Front Porch Ideas over at TBD!