Tackle these lawn care tasks now to enjoy healthier, greener, lusher grass when spring rolls around again.
Cutting your lawn slightly shorter in autumn helps prevent the grass from matting under leaves and snow.
However,avoid cutting the grass too short.
Credit:Marty Baldwin
Tightly clipped turf has fewer roots and allows weeds to get a foothold.
A mower deck height of about 3 inches is best for most grasses during fall.
This will limit evaporation and allow your soil to retain most of the moisture.
Credit: Marty Baldwin
Apply Fertilizer
Fall is the best time tofertilize your lawnif you live in the north.
Conversely, avoid fertilizing dormant warm-season grasses in the south unless they’ve been overseeded with winter ryegrass.
Repair Dead Patches
Early fall lawn care should include reseedingdead or thin patchesin cool-season lawns.
Credit: Adam Albright
A mulch product embedded with seed and fertilizer is a convenient way to fillsparse patches.
If you seed in autumn, you’ll have fewer weeds the following year.
Fall seeding also ensures the seedlings can establish themselves before stressful hot weather conditions arrive in summer.
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
High-quality sod will be thick, dense, and weed-free.
It’s a convenient way to get an instant solution to bare spots.
If conditions turn dry, be prepared to water new sod daily.
Credit: Marty Baldwin
Check for Thatch
Thatch is a layer of dead organic matter near the soil surface.
Thatch may develop when you over-fertilize your lawn orwater too frequently.
Check for thatch by turning over a small section of turf with a spade.
Credit: Doug Hetherington
Remove Excess Thatch
Dethatchinginvolves cutting through the thatch layer and ripping out the debris.
Power raking and vertical mowing can damage grasses spread by surface runners like centipede grass and St. Augustine grass.
Use a machine that has correctly spaced knives for these grasses.
Credit: Doug Hetherington
Aerate
Aerationis a fall lawn care step that reduces thatch,improves drainage, and loosens soil.
Aerate cool-season grasses in early fall and warm-season grasses in spring.
Focus on mowing at the proper height, aerating as needed, andadding fertilizerto provide essential nutrients.
Credit: Scott Little
Smaller weeds are usually shaded out when your lawn is in top shape.
If your yard is plagued with larger weeds, useweeding toolsto pull them up from the root.
Apply a Topdressing
Topdressing involves applying a thin layer of soil or compost to your existing turf.
Credit: Scott Little
Work the topdressing into the soil by raking it in.
Drain Irrigation Lines
Completely drain your lawn’sirrigation systembefore freezing weather arrives.
For best results, shut off the water to the system and drain each zone separately.
Credit: Marty Baldwin
Don’t forget to drain the main supply line from the house as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Apply fertilizer to cool-season lawns anywhere between September and November.
Homeowners in the north will want to fertilize toward the beginning of fall before temperatures drop too low.
Credit: Scott Little
This allows the grass seed to sprout and benefit from the nutrients in the fertilizer.
Credit: Jay Wilde
Credit: Marty Baldwin
