Posted on October 2nd, 2015
Just because summer has ended, doesn’t mean your lawn care should! In fact, continuing and even enhancing your usual lawn care regimen is extremely important during the fall months. The secret to a lush lawn is maintaining it all-year round, not just during the spring and summer. That being said, here are the steps you should take now to keep your lawn growing thick and strong.
Keep it short. While we stressed setting your lawn mower on the lowest setting to keep grass long and lush in the summer, the opposite tactics hold true for the fall. Return your lawn mower setting to cut grass at around 2 inches tall. This can help prevent your lawn from becoming matted and thatched, and can prevent leaves from getting stuck on your property.
Stick to a schedule. Even though the weather is cooling down, your grass still needs an ample amount of water to thrive and grow. While you may be powering down your sprinkler systems for the season, try to stick to your regular watering schedule if your area is still experiencing dry, rainless conditions.
Overseed and fertilize. Now is the time to start preparing for next year’s landscape. Overseeding and fertilizing in the fall gives your lawn a jumpstart on spring and can help to fill out those thinning, bald spots before the cold weather really settles in. You want to give your grass the ammunition it needs to stay strong through the dorman months.
Aerate, dethatch and top-dress. In order to give your newly seeded and fertilized lawn the best opportunity to grow and strengthen, you’ll want to take this time to remove thatch and debris and aerate your soil. Once your lawn is in tip top shape, it’s time to apply some nutrient rich top-dressing or compost.
Rake and recycle. While raking leaves might not be your favorite autumn activity, it’s very important to the well-being of your lawn – especially if you’re mulching! A simple mulching mower can help you shred fallen leaves so you can re-distribute them throughout your yard, returning valuable organic matter back into the soil.
Fall is the height of the lawn care season, as the efforts you make now will have a very important impact on the health of your grass come spring. If you’re worried that you may not have the time to dedicate to such a large task, or would rather reserve your weekends for football and pumpkin picking, you may want to consider leaving it up to the pros!
Turf Unlimited is a full service lawn care provider, offering a wide variety of lawn care, fertilization, and pest and weed control services to the Massachusetts or New Hampshire area. For more information about our services call 888-649-9919 and schedule your free, in-home estimate today.
