All About Autumn
by
Laura Horwitz
All About Lawns Columnist
The lawn maintenance and care required for your grass changes as summer ends and temperatures start to cool. Some lawn care tips apply specifically to warm weather or cool weather grasses, but these below will help guide you right direction whatever your grass type.
General Autumn Lawn Care TipsHere are some tips to start your autumn lawn maintenance:
- Autumn is a great time to de-thatch your lawn.
- Rake those leaves! A coating of leaves can smother your nice green grass and quickly suffocate it over the winter.
- Drain old gas out of your lawn mower or other equipment after the last mowing for the season.
- Test the soil pH if your lawn isn’t thriving. This is a good time to add either lime or sulfur to raise or lower the soil's pH.
Why Is this Important?Surprisingly, the way you treat your lawn in the fall can determine how well it grows the following spring. During this time of year a lot of root development occurs, so it’s important to nourish those delicate root systems.
To help those roots flourish, you should increase the cutting height on your lawn mower 2 to 3 inches, since this helps to increase the photosynthesis surface area of the grass.
What Else Should You Do?Some experts advise using a slow-release, nitrogen-rich fertilizer that will feed the grass throughout autumn and winter. Others suggest you should only do this for cool season grasses like Bluegrass and Fescues. For warm season grasses, such as Bermuda grass and Zoysia, fertilizer can interfere with the hardening-off process in preparation for winter.
Finally, this is a good time to rake out and reseed small patches of lawn that have suffered from damage or disease. Following these tips will ensure green grass in the spring.
SourcesPopular Mechanics
University of Wisconsin -- Extension
About the Author
Laura Horwitz has worked as a freelance writer and researcher for five years in both London and the US. She had a monthly landscaping and tips column for the Sussex County magazine RH Review, and her articles have appeared in Film Focus, 6 Degrees Film, and BizBash magazine.
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