September is here, and fall is right on its heels. This might not seem like the time of year in which you’d most likely need to worry about lawn care, because your grass will be going dormant within the next couple months. However, there are still plenty of tasks you can perform during the fall to set your lawn up for beautiful regrowth in the spring.
Here are a few fall lawn care tips and tricks to help you keep your grass healthy all year long:
- Continue to mow: You should keep mowing your lawn until you get your first frost—that’s when growth will finally stop for the season. You might not need to mow as frequently, but when you do, you should cut to the same height as always. Don’t start the winterization process for your mower until you know you’re done for the season.
- Consider aeration: The heat stress and soil compaction that occurs in a lawn over the winter can cause a lot of thinning or brown grass. Fall is the perfect time to aerate your lawn. This process involves pulling up soil plugs from the yard to help it breathe and to allow nutrients to get down to the roots. By aerating in the fall, you set yourself up for healthier regrowth in the spring.
- Rake: When leaves begin to fall, it’s important to rake regularly to keep your grass healthy. A covering of leaves on top of the grass can result in sunlight being blocked out, which means the plants will not be able to photosynthesize properly. Leaves also serve as moisture collectors, which can result in fungal growths in your lawn. Finally, raking helps to remove some thatch that might have built up during the summer. Raking even once a week can make a big difference.
- Water: You probably won’t have to water your lawn as regularly as you do in the summer, because rainfall in the autumn results in less evaporation due to cooler temperatures. However, if you know your grass isn’t getting enough water each week, you should still plan to water it.
- Fertilize: Fall is actually the most important time of year to fertilize your lawn, as his will provide it with all the nutrients it needs to make it through the tough winter and come back thriving in the spring. If you aerate, you should fertilize right afterwards so the nutrients will get down into the roots.
- Seed: If you have any bare spots in your lawn, you should seed early in the fall while growth is still happening. Use the right type of grass so you get a good match with the rest of your lawn.
Need more tips for how to care for grass in the fall and all year long? We encourage you to contact the team at Star Sprinkler Systems Inc. with any questions you have about irrigation and lawn care and how we can be of assistance to you. We look forward to hearing from you soon.