Although the spring is the most active and productive time for your lawn, it is actually during the autumn months that it is in its best shape. This is the time to preserve the vital nutrients and minerals to last through the long winter months. The cold and wet of the winter can take a harsh toll on your lawn, so you want to make sure it is at its strongest before the snow hits.
Your lawn is an active and living thing and needs proper maintenance, feeding and watering during every part of the year. Your routine may be different from winter to summer but your lawn always needs care to stay looking and growing the best.
Fall lawn care can not only help you protect your grass from the harshness of a long winter, but actually help get a jump-start on your spring growth. Take a look at some of the things that you can do in the fall to get your lawn ready for winter.
Aeration
The soil of your lawn can become very hard and compacted from the weight of winter snow. This can suffocate or delay a lot of spring growth, resulting in a patchy-looking lawn. Using an aeration roller, you can spike holes into your sod and soil to help prevent dirt clumps from forming during the winter.
Dethatch
During the hot summer months most lawns will have some areas of thatching that should be cleaned up. This means simply removing pieces of dead growth by lightly raking the lawn. Getting rid of this kind of lawn debris helps to keep new growth from being limited by dead blades in the spring.
Seeding
If you have had any problem areas over the summer or you just want to add more volume to your lawn, the fall is a great time to throw down some seed. The weather, often with more rainy days and the cooling and warming soil during the day, helps to embed seeds deeply for the winter. It’s ok to “overseed” in the fall as many of the seeds may not survive the harsh cold.
Fertilize
It is important to feed your lawn enough for it to survive a long winter. A slow-release nutrient and nitrogen rich fertilizer should be used on your full lawn. This will not only help protect and nourish your lawn over the winter but it will help it retain its color and fullness in the spring. It is important to make sure that your fertilizer contains good amounts of phosphorus, potassium and iron helping your grass stay properly fed.
Weeding
It’s always best to get a jump on a weed problem in the spring, but fall is also a great time to get ahead of the game. Weeds can lay dormant all winter and bloom in the spring if they aren’t removed before the freeze. You should be using an organic herbicide on your full lawn prior to the first frost or it may be too late.