Fall Lawn Care Tips
Among turf care experts, it's a well-known fact that the best way to ensure a thick, green and healthy lawn in the spring is to give it some well-timed care in the fall -- in other words, right now! But according to Scott Frith, CEO of Lawn Doctor, a lawn care company with more than 200 franchises around the country, many homeowners make the same basic mistakes before grass goes dormant, and then wonder why their grass isn't doing better the following year. Wonder no more. Here is Frith's seven-step program to getting a beautiful lawn next year.
Remove the leaves.
A carpet of colorful autumn leaves may look nice and be fun to play in, but they're no good for grass. They block the light and trap moisture, potentially fatal knockout punches for the unlucky turn underneath. So, when the leaves are falling, blow or rake them away as often as you can. Even after the trees are bare, continue raking out the corners where the wind piles leaves up. If you don't, come spring, the grass under that soggy, decaying mat will be dead.
2. Keep cutting, but to the correct height.
Don't put that mower away just yet. Grass continues to grow up to the first hard frost, and so will need regular cuts to keep it at an ideal 2 1/2 - 3 inch height. If you let it get too long, it will mat and be vulnerable to fungi like snow mold.
Cutting grass too short is just as bad, because it curtails the root system -- root depth is proportional to cutting height -- and impedes the lawn's ability to withstand winter cold and dryness. Regular mowing also gets rid of those pesky leaves, chopping them up and leaving behind a soil-enhancing mulch.
3. Continue watering.
Frith says that people then to let up on watering in the fall as the weather gets cooler. "They figure that nature will take care of things for them," he says. While it's true that there's more rain, more dew and less evaporation at this time of year, that may not be enough to keep the grass roots well hydrated and healthy going into the winter.
If your lawn isn't getting at least an inch of water a week -- a simple rain gauge is a useful way to keep track -- then keep the sprinklers or irrigation system running until the end of October. By that time, you'll want to disconnect hoses and flush the irrigation system to avoid frozen pipes and spigots.
4. Loosen the soil.
Regular aeration -- once every couple of years, according to Frith -- prevents soil from becoming compacted and covered with thatch, a thick layer of roots, stems, and debris that block water, oxygen and nutrients from reaching the soil.
A core aerator corrects both problems by punching holes through that thatch layer and pulling up plugs of woil. "It's a good idea to aerate a lawn right before fertilizing," Frith says. "All those holes in your turf will let the fertilizer reach right to the roots, where it can do the most good."
5. Add fertilizer
Just as grass roots need water to last the winter, they also benefit from ma short of the plant sugars that protect roots from freezing and give the entire plant the energy to bounce back in the spring. Those sugars are produced by chlorophyll, which grass produces in abundance when there's enough nitrogen.
That's why Frith recommends a late-fall application of slow-release granular 24-0-10 fertilizer. The numbers indicate the percentage by weight of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, respectively. Potassium is also important at this time because it aids in root growth, disease protection, drought tolerance and cold resistance. (A soil test can tell you how much of each nutrient you lawn actually needs.)
Frith cautions against spreading fertilizer close to waterways, however; they are vulnerable to contamination from runoff. Classic Grounds Care suggests maintaining a 5-foot buffer wherever water is present.
6. Spread seed.
"A dense lawn is also good protection against weeds," Frith says, which is why it's important to overseed existing turf. Not only does that fill in thin spots or bare patches, it allows you to introduce the latest in resilient, drought-tolerant grasses. Fall is the best time to oversed because the ground is still warm, moisture is more plentiful, nights are cool, and the sun is not as hot during the day. But even then, "overseeding is one of the most challenging lawn-care chores." Frith says.
You can't simply broadcast seeds over an established lawn and expect them to take hold. They need to be in full contact with the soil, kept moist until they germinate, ,and be will enough established before it gets too cold. Renting a slit seeder is a better option than broadcasting, but those machines are notorious for tearing up turf and leaving your lawn looking like a harrowed field.
Gary & the team have many tools and experience they can utilize for a good overseeding without much damage to your lawn.
7. Stay on schedule.
Each of the steps above has to be done at the right time for best results. Otherwise, it's wasted effort. For instance, overseed to late and the seedlings will be too tender to survive. Fertilize too
early and the grass will send up tender blades that will get hammered by the cold. Fertilize too late and the grass roots won't be able to absorb all those nutrients you're feeding them. Thinking about aerating the spring because you can't get around to it this fall? Don't bother. Spring aeration just makes it easier for weed seeds to get established.
If sticking to a schedule during the fall is proving too difficult, Classic Grounds Care can handle the lawn chores that are not getting done. Most often, those are the ones that require renting heavy machinery like core aerators and slit seeders, which are hard to transport, a bear to operate and often in short supply at the rental yards at this time of year. Delegating some or all of these lawn care tips to us will ensure the work gets dome when it should and professionally done. You will more than likely save time, money and headache. Classic Grounds Care is happy to take on your fall lawn projects and set you up for the winter to enjoy a beautiful, healthy lawn come spring. Call today for your free consultation. 360-698-1292