With summer in the rearview mirror and the need for frequent watering coming to an end, it’s time to shift your focus to fall lawn care tips to prepare your yard for the winter. This time is crucial for your yard because you’ll be in for a rude awakening when those April showers show up if you neglect your lawn now.
Don’t Leave the Leaves
The changing of the leaves is one of nature’s most beautiful processes. However, you can’t just watch them fall; you must remove them from your lawn. You may not want to mess with the leaves, figuring that the grass will die. But leaves can block the sunlight from hitting your grass, rot, and trap moisture. As a result, they can potentially cause disease to run rampant all over your yard.
If you have children, you can give them a rake and show them how to gather them up. A leaf blower or mulcher also works wonders when cleaning up leaves in your yard. Regardless of what you use, you must collect the leaves if you want the lawn to thrive when spring rolls in.
Fertilize To Give the Roots Strength
Athletes gear up in the off-season so that they’re ready to roll when their sports begin again, and you need to have that same philosophy regarding your lawn. You can bolster your grass’s roots with fertilizer. Using fertilizer enriched with nitrogen fosters steady blade growth as autumn winds down, stimulating the roots for the cold and dormancy-inducing winter.
Aerate To Let Your Grass Breathe
The act of puncturing the grass and drawing out soil cores is called aerating. The soil cores decompose and provide topsoil to your grass, increasing its helpful microbial activities. Aeration also permits oxygen, water, and nourishment to reach the roots of your grass. The benefits of lawn aeration include better drainage, removing thatch, and softening the soil. It results in greener, healthier grass.
Overseed To Fix Dead Patches
The scorching summer heat may have laid a lasting impression on some areas of your lush green land, leaving some unappealing dead spots. Fall is the perfect time to combat this issue by overseeding and addressing the dead patches. Ideally, excess seeding should energize old, dead lawns. Seeding will also restrict insect infestation and curb any potential diseases.
Until the first snow hits, it’s not too late to use these fall lawn care tips to prepare your yard for the winter. It may feel like a lot of work, but it will pay off in the long run, giving you the greenest grass on the block.