5 Fall Facts for a Great Lawn Next Spring:

1. Keep up With Yard Work. Your grass keeps growing, even as the colder weather starts to set in. Continue to mow until the snow hits.  Make sure to keep your grass length a good, short level all throughout the autumn months. Don’t stop watering it either if your lawn is not getting more than one inch of moisture per week.  Often times in the fall we see more natural moisture as there is less evaporation and more precipitation. If however, you have a few dryer days, don’t be afraid to turn on the sprinklers.
2. Rake Up Those Fall Leaves. As beautiful as the red, orange, yellow and brown leaves are, they can actually be damaging to the grass underneath them. When leaves fall on your lawn, they can prevent sunlight from getting to the grass and getting the benefits it needs from that energy source. Also, the soggy, wet leaves will begin to rot, leaving a lawn fungus on your grass. Raking up those leaves is a much better approach than using a blower. Raking actually removes thatch, a layer of dead and living grass shoots, stems and roots that shows up between the soil and the grass blades in your lawn.
3. Aeration should be done now. When soil is compacted under the grass, it is very difficult for proper nutrients to find their way to the grassroots. All through the summer soil will compact from the heat. To help your lawn from forming brown and yellow patches next year, aeration is key. Aeration removes soil plugs all throughout the grass, leaving a trail for those important nutrients to make their way deep into the grassroots.
4. Apply a nitrogen-rich fertilizer following aeration. Applying this fertilizer on your lawn in the fall months is an important step to lawn care. Why is this the best time to do it? Remember the reason we aerate is to allow nutrients to be able to find their way to the grassroots. These important compounds are found in the fertilizer that will keep grass healthy and sustained through the harsh winter. It will boost back more green, full and healthy next spring. Apply the fertilizer very soon after aeration for the most positive results.
5. Spread new grass seed on any bare spots.  Each year portions of the grass may get too compacted, too hot, or die from the damage of pests and critters. Reseeding now is a great way to keep those patches looking bright again come spring. When spreading seed, make sure that the seed falls directly onto the soil. Seeds that fall into long grass and ever reach the soil will not take off and grow. Power seeding or other techniques we use can ensure that the seeds are intermixed with the current grass and grow up lush and green.

Fall lawn care is important and these few minimal steps will go a long way in keeping your lawn the envy of the neighborhood. Take care of your lawn this fall and prepare it for a cold winter! Contact us today for any questions or to schedule any of your lawn care needs with a professional.