Did you know fall is the perfect time for lawn care? Not only does it prepare your lawn for next spring, but by following these fall lawn care tips, your yard will be a beautiful place to retreat to and relax until the first snowfall!
Rake Up All the Leaves
Make sure to rake your lawn because dead leaves are no good for your grass. As time passes, the leaves begin to decompose, which zaps moisture from the soil and offers a welcome home to insects that could eat your grass. Moreover, a thick layer of decaying leaves can cause dead spots in your lawn come spring, which leads to more weeds. Yuck! Plus, all those leaves block nutrients, and don’t let your grass get the much-needed fall sunlight.
Mow Your Lawn
Although you need to mow your lawn less than in the summer, it’s still important to cut the grass. During the fall season, lower the height of your mower’s blades, so they’re shorter than they were in summer. An important fall lawn care tip is to gradually lower your mower height each time you mow until your grass length is approximately 1 1/2″ high. You should aim to cut 1/3 of the grass blade or less because more than this actually shocks the grass.
Give Your Lawn a Good Feeding
During the fall, your lawn is absorbing energy, moisture, and nutrients to prepare for a long winter. That means fall is the ideal time to feed your grass. As the weather starts to cool down, grass begins to slow its top growth, but the roots are still growing actively. Once the ground freezes or the grass stops growing, it won’t absorb the fertilizer. So, feeding your lawn in the fall is vital. A proper fall feeding encourages deep root growth and helps the grass store essential nutrients for the winter that your yard will tap into at the first sign of spring!
Aerate Your Grass
Your lawn’s soil becomes compacted over time, which reduces air pockets that enable essential nutrients and water to reach your grass’ roots. That’s why another critical fall lawn care tip is to ensure your lawn is aerated each year. Fall is the perfect time to aerate because it gives your yard the best chance to receive the nutrients and water required to stay healthy all winter and grow in lush and green in the spring.
Spread Grass Seed
Once you’ve followed the above fall lawn care tips spread grass seed over your entire lawn before the first snowfall. This promotes new grass growth in the spring that will fill in any weak spots and help your lawn look neat and full.
Paying extra attention to your lawn this season using these five fall lawn care tips really pays off! Come spring, you’ll be greeted with a lush, healthy lawn that the whole family will enjoy right through to next winter. For more useful tips and tricks, make sure to check out our blog.