If you want to have a picture-perfect lawn by next spring and summer, the best time to start is the fall, before your lawn goes dormant for the winter. Having a lawn that looks great and healthy year-round can be a seemingly overwhelming challenge. Fortunately starting now with a fall lawn maintenance checklist will help your yard be prepared for the coming seasons.
1. Rake those leaves
Autumn leaves are nice to look at, but once they fall on your lawn, you should rake them or use a leaf blower to remove them. Why? Because leaves on your lawn will prevent your grass from getting the sunlight and air it needs. This could lead to unpleasant repercussions, including disease. Do this at least once a week for maximum benefits. You can also use a mulching mower to chop up the leaves on the lawn; they can serve as compost for your grass.
2. Seed and feed
To have a lush, green — and healthy — lawn next year, remember these words: seed and feed. By using Lawn Doctor’s Power Seeding services this fall you can literally plant the seeds to a better lawn. Power Seeding, when used with our Turf Tamer®, achieves maximum results.
Fall seeding and feeding your lawn can have a variety of benefits:
It cultivates your soil to make it more likely for the grass seeds to grow. A lusher, thicker lawn means less chance of diseases, weeds, or insects infesting your lawn.
The Turf Tamer® process helps correctly aerate your soil and helps your lawn to grow better – soil aeration is critical to lawn growth.
3. Fall lawn fertilization
Fertilizing your lawn is also a critical part of good lawn growth. Fertilization provides a slew of nutrients for your lawn to store and use in the winter. Even when your lawn is dormant in the winter, the roots will keep on growing during this time, so that fertilization can help prepare your lawn for spring. For more tips on seeding, feeding and fertilization, visit our blog.
4. Get pre-emergent weed control on your lawn
Depending upon where you live, fall is a great time to have pre-emergent weed control put on your lawn. It can stop weeds that germinate in autumn, such as chickweed and dandelion, as well as stopping perennial weeds from growing in the spring. Talk with your Lawn Doctor lawn professional about if or when you can have pre-emergent weed control put on your lawn.
5. Mow your lawn before the winter, and get your mower maintained
When you get towards the end of fall, you can more closely mow your lawn. But never cut off more than one-third of the lawn at once; you do not want to scalp it. Paying attention to the right heights to mow your grass can be very important to prolonged lawn health.
Lawn Doctor does not mow lawns, but many of our locations do offer lawn mower maintenance services to keep your lawn mower running smoothly. This includes inspecting the mower to see what needs to be done, including changing the oil, sharpening the lawn mower blades, winterizing the mower, cleaning the air filter, and cleaning the mower.
Remember, to have the lawn you always wanted come spring and summer, the time to start work is right now. Use the help above to make sure your yard is ready for whatever the coming months may bring. If you are looking for more information on treating your lawn in the fall, call your local Lawn Doctor professional for tips or to learn about our various lawn care services.
All articles are copyrighted and remain the property of the author.
By Dan Heims, President, Terra Nova Nurseries, Inc.
Photographs courtesy of Terra Nova Nurseries, Inc.
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