If you ask anyone about the best season for lawn, most people answer it as Fall. Fall temperature is suitable for the lawn grass’s growth and is also the perfect time to apply fertilizer and other lawn nutrients. So, if you manage to take good care of your lawn in Fall, it will show the benefits throughout the year. However, today, you’ll learn about some most effective Fall lawn care tips.
Fall is the best time for your lawn because of many reasons. Fertilize works best at this time. The growth of the grass is also remarkable in the Fall. Besides, it is the best time to sow seeds. That’s why new lawn makers are always suggested starting in the Fall.
Your lawn will have various benefits throughout the year if you take proper care of it in the Fall. Besides, Fall time lawn care is essential to prepare for the upcoming winter. So, if you understand the benefits of Fall time lawn care, make sure to follow the tips below. Definitely, they will come as a great help for your lawn.
Most Effective Fall Winter Care Tips
Whether it is about applying fertilizers or sowing seeds, Fall will make all your effort successful. So, you should be a little bit busier in the Fall on your lawn. As a result, you will get a healthy green lawn that will blow your mind. However, make sure to follow the Fall lawn care tips I have added below if Fall is running at your place.
1. Fall Requires a Hydrate Lawn
Most lawn owners mistake not watering the lawn during Fall as the weather gets chilly. This mistake leads the grassroots to be dehydrated and unhealthy. And your lawn must get water a minimum of an inch weekly for a better result.
Cool-season grass generally needs water before the lawn soil freezes in the winter. And Fall time rainwater is a great help to provide enough moisture to the soil in the Fall season. However, you should take alternative steps, like keeping up with the irrigation system until the end of October. It will help you to avoid spigots and frozen pipes.
2. Lawn Shouldn’t Have Debris, Weeds, and Pile of Dry Leaves on Fall
Plant debris and growing weeds are primarily harmful to your lawn. They obstruct the penetration of sunlight and other nutrients into the soil. As the lawn grass gets trapped in the shade, it becomes more prone to many deadly diseases.
Just like the growth of grass, the growth of those weeds also increases in Fall. So, make sure to pull them off to keep the lawn clean and let the grassroots get space. You can use different herbicides, but hand-pulling the weeds will be more effective. So, if the lawn doesn’t have too many weeds, pull them off.
It is quite natural that during the time of Fall season, your luscious green carpet of grass will get covered by the colorful autumn leaves. But as soon as you see them pile up, rake or blow them up; otherwise, the grass underneath will become soggy and eventually die.
3. Fertilize is a Must in Fall to Fight the Cold Winter
Feeding your lawn soil in the Fall is fundamental. It will give the grassroots essential strength to stand in the time of winter and will save them from freezing. Plant sugars are the food that brings back the energy of the grass with the help of chlorophyll. And it is only possible if there is enough nitrogen in it.
Late-Fall is the perfect time to apply a slow-release granular 24-0-10 fertilizer. Here, the numbers mean the percentage by weight of the three essential lawn nutrients, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. In addition, Potassium in Fall-season fertilizer helps in cold resistance, root growth, and disease protection.
Sometimes, the lawn can hardly make it up till the winter. Therefore, you can apply a high-nitrogen fertilizer, for instance, Pennington UltraGreen Lawn Fertilizer 30-0-4. It gives energy to the roots and boosts stamina in your lawn grass.
4. Fixing Dead Patches Is Essential Â
Dead patches are a widespread problem in cool-season lawn grasses. However, you can fix this problem easily during Early Fall. You just have to apply seeds to the bare places. Especially if you choose Autumn to seed your lawn, then you will face fewer weeds to deal with, and they will germinate before the humid weather takes place.
Moreover, if you plan to remove the dry patches on the lawn, you must rake before seeding and continue this process for a few weeks. To fix these patches, you can even put high-quality sod for the quick solution to the bare spots. And, of course, do not forget to water the sod regularly.
5. Essential Pest Control is Effective in Fall
Early Fall is the right time to eliminate any harmful insects that can ruin your lawn’s health. Insects that usually attack your lawn can lead to a serious problem as it starts to beget during late winter. So, it would help if you prevent them in any way.
You can primarily choose a pesticide, especially for armyworms and grubs. The best is to identify the pests in the first place and then eliminate them. Fall is the right time to pull out the weeds. Indeed, pulling weeds is a very effective solution for treating lawn pests.
Most pesticides have an ingredient that decreases the rate of seed germination. So, if you need to use Pesticides and overseed the lawn in Fall, make sure to apply seeds in the first place and wait till they germinate. It won’t take more than three weeks. After that, you can apply essential pesticides. But if you are planning to overseed the lawn, you should change the routine to use Pesticides or skip it.
6. Fall is the Hightime for Overseeding the Lawn
Overseeding your lawn lessens the damages and gives excellent protection in your lawn. Oftentimes, you will see bare patches or thin spots in your existing turf. And overseeding in cool-season lawns will also help the grass stand against the hot summer season. Also, the summertime hot weather causes the lawn to loosen the thickness of grass.
That’s why reseeding your lawn is a basic need in the Fall. The reseeding program will become more effective when you apply fertilizer along with it. You can apply Pennington UltraGreen Lawn Fertilizer with the NPK rate, 22-23-4.
Applying this fertilizer during Fall brings extra profit as the soil remains warm and moist. Thus, new seeds germinate before the winter, and the bare spots get filled with luscious green grass.
7. Aerate the Lawn Soil in Fall is Beneficial
Aeration is a process that helps to loosen the lawn soil and improves the drainage system. And it is one of the most effective fall lawn care tips that you should follow. It clears the soil plugs so enough water and oxygen nutrients can reach the grassroots. Besides, aerating the lawn in Fall will keep it healthy in winter.
To prevent the blockage caused by the stems and debris, Early-Fall is the right time to aerate the cool-season grasses. Plus, it will improve the compaction and make way for the fertilizer to reach the soil and enable the active growth of grasses.
8. The Thatch Level Should Get Your Notice in Fall
Before Fall hits your place, your lawn may produce a thicker thatch level because of the summertime sunburn grass. So, it is more likely to notice a thick layer of thatch composed on the surface of your lawn soil.
This layer is made of dead organic matter, making your lawn more prone to disease and inviting insects. So, getting rid of this thick thatch level before the first frost begins is essential.
Sometimes, it grows up to more than half-inches thick. Thus, it draws a line so that nutrients and water fail to penetrate the soil. This thick layer develops more frequently when you apply fertilizer in an excess amount and overwater your lawn.
At this moment, you need to dethatch the soil and pull out the debris. Vertical mowers and handheld reck are helpful to eliminate the thatch layer and retrieve the healthy growth of your grass. If you have a larger lawn, you should definitely buy a dethatcher.
9. Changing the Mowing Height is Essential in Fall
Adjusting the mowing height for the lawn is often neglected by the owner. However, in the Fall season, the mowing height has a real connection with the health of your lawn. Indeed, a change in the mowing height is essential for different reasons.
Though in Summer, increasing the mowing height impact reduces the heat stress, in the Fall, it is entirely different. During this time, you should keep the mower height about 3 inches tall, which means it should return to its average height.
Sometimes, winter diseases on your lawn spread so fast, and keeping the mowing height slightly shorter will help prevent them. But do not consider minimizing the height too low, as tightly clipped turf will bring more weeds and fewer roots.
10. Applying Topdressing on Turf Grass Will Strengthen the Lawn Soil
Topdressing is a process that helps to improve the soil condition by increasing the number of organic nutrients and reducing thatch. Moreover, it lessens the need for additional fertilizer. It simply means applying compost or a thin layer of soil, and you should spread it approximately one-fourth to half inches to the entire lawn.
Before you put topdressing, aerate or dethatch the lawn, as clippings can obstruct the way down to the grassroots. Then put the topsoil by raking it in, especially where grasses have started to grow thin.
Besides following these essential Fall time lawn care tips, you should move on with your regular lawn care routine, like timely mowing and watering the lawn. These tasks will help the lawn fight different winter diseases and stay healthy in the upcoming colder season. So, it would help if you didn’t miss them.
FAQ
Q: What is the specific time to apply fertilizer during the Fall season?
A: Early September is the best time in the Fall season to apply fertilizer. The weather of this time is suitable for most fertilizers to work actively. Besides, grasses recover from humid weather conditions straight off, and giving them a dose of nitrogen will increase the grasses’ blade growth at this time.
Q: After when should I apply Fall fertilizer on the lawn?
A: You shouldn’t apply Fall fertilizer on the lawn after September is gone. But, you can do it in early October if the temperature is not lower than 18 degree Celsius. It is better to apply at least six to eight weeks before the first snowfall occurs in your area.
Q: What comes first between fertilizing or seeding the lawn during Fall?
A: Applying fertilizer takes more priority in the Fall before seeding. Generally, the soil needs to be more fertile, and the grassroots must grow to the strongest. So, one should choose fertilizer first and then seeding. Eventually, seeding the lawn will be more effective when the soil has enough nutrients.
Q: When should I overseed the lawn in the Fall?
A: The right time to overseed the lawn is between August 15 to September 15. No doubt, Early Fall is the best time because daytime heat encourages growth, and a little bit of cold at night gives them a break from the heat stress. However, you shouldn’t overseed the lawn when the temperature is starting to be lower due to the upcoming winter.
Q: Is it essential to dethatch the lawn in the Fall?
A: Yes, dethatching the lawn in Fall is essential, especially if your place was warmer in summer. The strong sun exposure in summer simply dries off the lawn and burns the grasses. As a result, the dried grass starts building up a layer of thatch on the lawn. And when it is Fall, the layer can be thicker. So, you should remove them so that the fertilizer you use in the Fall becomes more active.
Final Verdict
Fall is the best time only for making your effort successful on the lawn. Actually, your lawn faces many difficulties because of the changing weather. So, it would help if you took care of your lawn at this time. It is even essential to prepare the lawn for the upcoming winter.
Hopefully, the suggested Fall lawn care tips will help you keep your lawn healthy and greener. Please don’t forget to feed your lawn and dethatch it in the Fall. Aeration is also very essential to loosen the compacted soil.
However, let us know what difficulties you usually face on your lawn because of the fall season. We will try to give you the solution. Also, please share your feedback with us about your Fall time lawn care. Thank you for being so supportive.