Fall in Love with Lawn Maintenance

Just because summer’s over doesn’t mean it’s time to put your lawn mower away! Mowing your lawn is an essential part of lawn maintenance all year long, especially during fall. Not only does it keep your outdoor living space looking neat and manicured, but it also helps to keep your lawn healthy and free of unsightly weeds and damaging insects. However, you should plan to pack your mower away once your lawn has stopped growing or gone dormant.

It’s time for your lawn to recover from summer stress as we enter the fall. As daytime temperatures drop into the 70’s, your lawn will start it’s second growth phase of the year. Your lawn will look its best if you mow it properly, fertilize and make sure there is adequate moisture to support fall growth. Lawns will still need an inch of water each week to look their best until daytime temperatures are consistently below 65 degrees. Once the leaves fall off the trees, it’s time to put the sprinkler away! 

“To rake or not to rake, that is the question.” Your leaves will provide nutrients, organic matter and weed suppression if you have a mulching mower with a sharp blade. The key is to mow in the right amount of leaves. If the fall leaves are so heavy that they smother your grass when you mow, stop mowing and start raking! You should always be able to see your grass after you mow. One of the best things you can do for your cool season lawn is to aerate in the fall. Aeration will loosen up the soil and allow more room for the roots to grow, and helps air, water and nutrients to make it to the root zone where they are needed. Aeration will also help to break down the thatch layer in lawns that feel spongy.

To get the best results, it is important to perform the necessary fall maintenance steps at the right time. Our best suggestion is to take a few hours each weekend and get your lawn up to par with these tips. You'll feel better knowing that you're on the right track to getting your lawn ready for winter and a better spring. 

While the tips above are simple things you can do on your own, there are more complex areas of fall lawn care that you might need a helping hand with. After all, maintaining you outdoor living space in the fall is more than just raking, mowing and watering; it also entails fertilization, aeration and overseeding (for cool season grasses), weed control, pest control and tree and shrub protection. All of these tasks can be assigned to the experts so that you are left with a beautiful outdoor living space to enjoy come springtime.