Everything you need to get started with fall lawn care
jbrotton
By ANGELA WATSON | BESTREVIEWS | JUL 27, 2021 AT 5:39 PM
Fall lawn care
It may seem like your lawn doesn't require as much maintenance and care in the fall as the spring or summer. But there are still things you should do — and get — for your lawn to keep it healthy in the fall. Learning to care for your lawn and prepare it for the coming winter season is important if you want a healthy, verdant yard next spring.
Plus, aside from having a beautiful lawn that’s the envy of your neighbors, you’ll make things easier for yourself later on when it comes to taking care of the landscape. Here’s everything you need to get started with fall lawn care.
Fall lawn care tips
Here’s what you can do to take care of your yard this fall.
Fertilize your lawn
Fall is the perfect time to fertilize your lawn, especially in particularly cold areas like the midwest or northeast. More than that, fertilizer is an essential part of winterizing your lawn. Fertilizer strengthens the grass roots and helps them grow before the cold of winter sets in. This makes the grass greener and healthier for the next spring.
Generally, the best time to use fertilizer is in mid-October or a few weeks before the first frost in your area. Don’t fertilize too early or late in the year or it won’t have the desired effect on the lawn.
Apply fertilizer in the early morning or early evening. Never use it just before or after a heavy downpour or the rain will wash away the fertilizer. Fertilizing the lawn in the morning allows you to take advantage of the morning dew, which can help the fertilizer absorb into the soil.
If you have warm-season grass like zoysia grass or Bermuda grass, fertilize up to about a month before the first frost. That way, the grass can go dormant for the winter.
Along with regular fertilizer, give your lawn a boost with a fertilizer created specifically for the winter, like Scotts Turf Builder WinterGuard Fall Lawn Food. While normal fertilizer nurtures and strengthens roots, winterizing fertilizer helps the roots absorb and store nutrients for the winter season. If using winterizing fertilizer, apply it four or five weeks after the fall fertilizer.
Aerate the soil
Aeration is the act of breaking apart soil that’s become too compact for the roots to properly grow. Lawns should be aerated once a year. In cooler regions, aerate in early fall or early spring. In warmer regions, aerate in early spring or before summer.
Without regular aeration, the grass will start to thin out and die. This is because the compact soil prevents essential nutrients, oxygen and water from reaching the roots. By aerating the lawn, you’re making space for these resources to get to the grass.
For maximum impact, aerate the lawn before fertilizing it. That way, the fertilizer can also get through to the grassroots. Aeration is especially important for newly planted sod, heavily trafficked lawns and new constructions.
There are a couple of ways to aerate your lawn. For instance, you can use a plug aerator (also found at Home Depot) for hard soil and lawns with water runoff. Or you can use a spike aerator for looser soil. Spike aerators and lawn aerator shoes are also good for smaller yards or if you don't mind hands-on effort.
After aerating your lawn, let any excess soil dry and break down, then overseed or fertilize the lawn as needed.
Dethatch the yard
Thatch is the organic matter that decomposes on the surface of the lawn between the soil and the upper grass. A thin layer of thatch (no more than half an inch thick) can be beneficial to the lawn. But if the thatch builds up, it can keep water and fertilizer from reaching the root system. It can also create problems in insulation, which makes it harder for the grass to withstand temperature changes.
For warm-season grass, you may need to wait to aerate and dethatch the yard until the grass starts growing again in the spring.
If you notice the thatch has built up, use a thatching rake to remove it. Alternatively, you can use a dethatcher machine.
Mow the grass
Although grass doesn’t typically need to be mowed in the winter, it does need to be cut to a good length before the seasons change. It should be around two inches high before winter hits. That way, it’s short enough to prevent snow mold but also long enough to protect the grass’ root system from the colder temperatures.
A common mistake is to mow the grass all at once to a very short height. Doing this can cause stress on the yard. Instead, as fall starts to turn into winter, mow the grass in increments to prepare it for the shorter winter height. As a bonus, mowing regularly helps slice up any fallen leaves and creates a mulch that acts as a natural fertilizer for the yard.
Use a riding lawn mower for larger yards, or a push lawn mower for small yards.
Water regularly
The rule of thumb is that grass needs one to two inches of water a week for a healthy root system. You can test how much water your lawn is getting with a rain gauge. But you can also install an irrigation system or automatic sprinklers set to a timer for early morning or evening watering. As the temperature drops, turn off and disconnect any hoses or systems to prevent freezing.
Keep an eye on the temperature and make sure you water the grass before the first frost. This will strengthen the grass and protect it from cold damage.
Overseed the yard
If your lawn is starting to look a little bare, overseed it. Overseeding promotes thicker growth, fills in bare patches and helps prevent weeds from growing in the yard. In cooler regions, overseed 45 days or so before the first frost. In warmer regions, overseed in late spring. The best time to overseed is in the evening once the temperature drops below 65 degrees and the grass is starting to lose its vibrant shade of green.
To seed the yard, first, prepare the soil. Use a pH tester to test the lawn's pH levels for ideal seeding conditions (6.2 to 7 pH is recommended). Then, sprinkle mulch over the areas you want to seed. For best results, use a lawn spreader to put the seed down.
Keep weeds down
If weeds are growing in the yard, use a fertilizer with weed killer in it to get rid of them. Weeds can compete with existing growth (like grass) for resources and cause grass to die. Left unchecked, they can also become breeding grounds for pests or disease. If pests are already a problem, use a pest control spray that's safe for the lawn and any pets.
Rake up the leaves
In yards with lots of trees, make sure to regularly rake up the leaves and remove leaf piles. A few leaves here and there are okay and can be broken up into mulch to fertilize the soil. But piles of them can retain moisture and lead to soggy grass and decay.
Hire a lawn care service
Caring for the lawn can be challenging and time-consuming, no matter the time of year, and this is especially true of larger yards. A professional service can keep your lawn healthy and green year-round while avoiding potentially costly mistakes.
Angela Watson is a writer for BestReviews. BestReviews is a product review company with a singular mission: to help simplify your purchasing decisions and save you time and money.
BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. BestReviews and its newspaper partners may earn a commission if you purchase a product through one of our links.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.