How To Take Care Of Your Lawn This Fall
Fall may be the best time of year. We can finally look forward to many nights outside by a fire, making s’mores, roasting hot dogs, and hanging out with friends and family while the chill fills the air and we get our jackets out of the closet for the first time since last March.
So, during our excitement of thinking about carving pumpkins and jumping into huge piles of leaves, we thought we would help you with your lawn this fall.
Because, honestly, there is no better time to be outside!
Drop the height on your lawn mowers
During those hot summer months, we usually raise the height on our lawn mowers to reduce heat stress on our lawn, helping our grass survive June and July. Well, when the weather begins to cool off, drop the height back down to normal.
Doing so will help prevent the grass from getting matted under the fall leaves. Your mower may have been raised to 3.5 inches for the summer, so just drop it back down to 2 inches.
Rake your leaves often
Making a huge pile of leaves and leaping into them like an Olympic diver is a blast! So, rake your leaves often and win that gold medal in leaf jumping.
Letting leaves pile up and get wet and soggy can give your lawn a matted look. Keeping leaves off your grass will let your grass breath and keep fungal disease away from your field of dreams.
Our advice is to rake your leaves often. Then, make one big pile, and jump in them! After all, it’s fall. Have fun!
After jumping until your heart is content, bag the leaves and create a compost pile for your garden, or turn your leaves into mulch.Check out these tips for easy leaf clean up this fall!
Fertilize in the fall for spring health
Fall is the most important time to fertilize your lawn for future growth. In the fall, grass leaves grow much slower, however, grass roots and rhizomes grow fast. Using fertilizer in the fall delivers much-needed nutrients to help your grass grow deep roots, keeping nutrients stored for a healthy spring.
The type of grass you have will determine exactly what type of fertilizer to use. If you don’t know, we can help!
Overseed to keep your lawn green during the cold months
Overseeding in the fall will improve the look of your lawn. Overseed your lawn with ryegrass, or a blend of cool season grass, to give your lawn a thicker look. This will also help to repair any disease or damage from the summer heat.
Winter is coming, prepare for the weeds now
Those winter weeds will sneak up on you like White Walkers beyond the wall. Protect your lawn and use a weed killer that combines both pre-emergent and post-emergent herbicide. Using a combination of both will eliminate weeds that have already started growing and the ones that are waiting in the dark.
If you live in Charlotte or any other city in a southern state, we recommend you begin your herbicide treatment in October. If you have a lawn up north, you can begin as early as Labor Day. Herbicides are best used when the temperature is 50 degrees or above, so don’t wait too long.
These are just a few of our favorite things we do to help keep our lawns and our friend’s lawns looking good for the fall.
If you need help with taking care of your lawn this fall, schedule a service with our lawn care professionals. We know what to do!
