Fall Lawn Care

Here are our tips to ensure a greener, less labour-intensive lawn next Spring.

Clean Up

Rotten leaves wasting away on the surface of your lawn are going to cause a few problems. Not only will the grass underneath die due to suffocation, but infected leaves left on the ground will simply re-infect the plants from which they fell. If any showed signs of disease last season don’t even bother trying to compost them. They should be discarded off site or burned so they can’t re-infect anything. After cleaning away any debris give the ground a good raking to prepare for your next lawn care task.

Weed Control

If you had a summer of battling weeds you’re going to want a pre & post emergent herbicide. That’s because some weeds are already growing and you’re also trying to stop others from starting next year. Though we’ve had a week of very warm temperatures the inevitable dip in the mercury is not far off. Herbicides are most effective when air temperature is 50° F and above. Weeds that can be treated this time of year include Crabgrass, Burweed, Annual Bluegrass, Plantain, Dandelion, Prickly Lettuce, Purslane, Henbit & Clover.

Patchy or Sparse Grass

The best time to overseed your lawn is in the fall, when the soil is still warm but the air is cooler, and more soaking a consistent rain is forecasted. At this time there are fewer weeds for the new grass to compete against and the diseases that attack seedlings are less active.

Fertilizer

September is by far the best time in the fall to fertilize your lawn. Grass will be recovering from a hot summer and awakening from a drought-induced dormancy. A fertilizer like Scotts Winterguard builds strong, deep roots for a better lawn next spring.