Lax Lawn Care Now = Lacklustre Lawn Later: 6 Fall Lawn Care Tips
The grass is starting to grow more slowly, so our lawns may not be at the forefront of our minds. The thing is, lax lawn care now means a lacklustre lawn later! Want to avoid playing doctor to your sick-looking grass in the spring? Listen up!
1. Keep Mowing!
Continue to water and mow your lawn, as needed, throughout the fall. Then as the season draws to a close, drop the mower's blade to 2" to 2-1/2" for the last cut before winter. This will allow more sunlight to reach the crown of the grass, and there will be less leaf to turn brown during the winter. IMPORTANT: Still remember to never trim off more than one third of the grass blades at any one time. If necessary, gradually lower the cutting height until the time of the final two cuttings.
2. Aerate the Soil:
Let oxygen, water, and fertilizer have a hope of reaching your lawn's roots by aerating in the fall. A gas-powered walk-behind aerator can be rented, or if you don't feel like doing it yourself, it can easily be hired out.
3. Rake the Leaves:
We know that this job stinks, but it's important to remove fallen leaves from your lawn as soon as possible. If you wait until all the leaves have fallen to begin your raking duties, you'll have a thick, impenetrable mat of leaves that have been soaked by rain and by morning dew, and the lawn will suffocate underneath from lack of oxygen. Let's not even talk about fungal breeding. EW.
Alternative: a lawnmower with a vacuum and/or a bagging system. With this method, it's still important to remove the leaves as early as possible to avoid suffocating your lawn.
4. Fertilize!
Many lawn experts would agree that this is the most important fertilization of the season. While the grass blades have slowed in growth as the weather has cooled, the roots and rhizomes (the horizontal stems that grow beneath the ground's surface) continue to grow at a feverish rate. A fall application of fertilizer delivers essential nutrients for the grass to grow deep roots now and to keep nutrients on reserve for a healthy start next spring.
In mid-to-late fall, apply a dry lawn fertilizer to all grassy areas. Be careful not to miss any spots!
Learn more about our Natural Lawn Fertilizer (ESLF) here.
ESLF can provide quick results along with sustained color Typically, two applications per season will maintain most lawns at above average condition. Typically, lawns that are conditioned with ESLF are thicker, greener, and more pest resistant and require less watering than chemically treated lawns.
5. Fill in Bald Spots:
The quickest, easiest way to do this is with an all-in-one lawn repair mixture. Sold at most garden shops and home centers, this ready-to-use mixture contains grass seed, a special quick-starter lawn fertilizer, and organic mulch.
Use a garden rake to scratch loose the soil at the bald spot in your lawn. Then spread a thick layer of the lawn repair mixture over the area. Lightly compact the mixture, then water thoroughly, and continue to water every other day for two weeks.
6. Weed Control:
If broadleaf weeds like dandelions have taken over your lawn, now's the time to fight back. Weeds, like most plants, are in the energy-absorbing mode during the fall. They're drinking in everything that comes their way ... including weed killers -- yeah!!! Apply a herbicide now and the weeds won't return in the spring.
Read the package label before use. Most herbicide manufacturers recommend applying the weed killer during early-to-mid fall, when daytime temperatures are consistently above 60 degrees Fahrenheit or 16 degrees Celsius.
Wait till the neighbours see your lawn in the spring. Talk of the town, folks -- talk of the town.
Adapted from an article by Popular Mechanics
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