As the fall season approaches, it is difficult to go with the same lawn care routine, you were following in summer. As we say autumn is the time lawn grass gets ready for long and harsh winter. At this time of year, winds get moist, making plants absorb more moisture and nutrients.
To give your lawn extra care and a luscious look for a long autumn and winter span you much follow the given tips.
1. Proper Watering
When it comes to fall time and watering, we mustn't overwater the lawn, or underwater it
So, watering your lawn about a quarter of an inch once a week to force water down to the roots. Perhaps, watering depends on how far the water is penetrating the soil so you must look for the absorption quantity also.
It is very typical that with the start of the fall the daytime and nighttime temperatures begin to come down dramatically. It means that there will be less water evaporation in the fall and too much watering will not be required.
Every lawn and soil is different depending upon the area, so there is no possible way to tell how many minutes you need to keep your sprinkler on. You can check how much water has penetrated the soil by plugging a screwdriver. A good and easy plugging will be about 6 to 8 inches.
2. Lowering the height of cut
It is important to lower the height of the cut while preparing your lawn for the fall. It is to be done to prevent fungal infections like snow molds. Two ways are recommended by the experts to safely lower the height of the cut:-
- Keep the grass long and increase the mowing frequency. If you are mowing only once a week then increase it 2 to 3 times per week and gradually step down the lawn to avoid undue stress on the lawn.
- Wait for the ground temperature to get below 40 degrees. At that time, the grass is grown topically and you can safely mow from 4 inches down to 1 inch. The only problem to cut this way is going to make your lawn look like hay all winter lawn instead of having a nice & rich color leading into winter.
3. Lawn cleaning
Doing the lawn cleaning at the end of the season is a very important part. If the mower blades are not perfect, they may leave the debris on the soil surface but a certain amount of debris must be left on the top of the soil.
During fall, trees start dropping leaves and seeds, so when this happens it ends up acting like a mulch or a weed barrier and suffocating the lawn. Another problem due to irregular cleaning of the lawn is a fungus. When there is too much stuff like dry leaves, debris, and dirt left on the soil surface it causes fungus. Therefore, a great remedy that you can use to prevent fungus and prepare your lawn before fall is a dethatcher. You can also use a dethatcher rake to pull all dirt out before and during the fall.
4. Lawn aeration and Fertilization:
Aerating your lawn before the fall is optional. It completely depends on the type of soil you have on your lawn. If the soil is dry and clay type then you can opt for the aeration of your lawn. If you see that enough water is absorbed in the soil and reaches the roots then you can skip this step.
Aeration before fall can prevent your lawn from drying out and improve the strength of the roots. It will also help grow new grass before the frost if you aerate in early fall and you can easily spread the fertilizers on your lawn after aeration.
If you have a small lawn, then the manual aerator is the best option, but if your lawn is bigger then you must choose the machine aerator.
5. Using herbicides:
Pre-emergent herbicide is great to treat your lawn with before the fall. This tip is the best for the preparation of your lawn for the fall and frosting. It will not only prevent the lawn from sprouting unnecessary weeds during the fall but also helps you get fewer weeds in the next season after the fall.
Lawn care to get prepared for the fall is not an easier task but it will make your lawn strong and healthy throughout the season. Therefore, it is important to take out some time from your daily routine and get your lawn ready for fall by following the simple tips explained above. You will surely feel proud to see the results.
