Fall Lawn Care For Getting Your Lawn In The Best Shape

Even though a great number of homeowners don’t realize it fall lawn care is a great time to help improve your lawn. You can take just a couple months in the fall to get your garden lawn into its best shape for the forthcoming spring season.

Mowing

At this time of the year you can lower your blades by about an inch from the height that you set during the summer months.

This will help you to get rid of any weed seeds and get more air into the soil.

It is also a good idea to use the mulching option if you have it on your mower, by mulching the masses of leaves on the ground you can add a great fertilizer to your lawn.

Aerating

You will get the most benefit from if you aerate in the areas that have the highest traffic. Areas with a lot of foot traffic become compacted and air can’t get to the grass roots which can cause trouble when the grass tries to grow. This is what leads to bare patches in a lawn. Basically with aerating you are punching holes in the soil so that water and nutrients can spread all the way down to the roots.

When it comes to aerators there are several options to choose from. The manual option is special shoes that you can strap over your footwear with large spikes in the bottom. Then you just walk around your lawn in order to aerate it.

Then there is a larger manual aerator with four hollow tubes on a horizontal bar that you push into the ground, this option is probably the most labor intensive. Once you are done you can leave the large plugs removed from the lawn as organic matter or compost. To help fill the holes once you are done spread a layer of compost, fertilize and water.

Reseed

After aerating and de-thatching during fall lawn care you may need to reseed. You will have nice holes and fresh compost in your garden during the fall which is an excellent time for seeds to take a hold. It is also a good time for grass growth as there is less weed competition. After spreading the new seedlings you need to remember that the key is to keep them moist.

Watering

In the fall your lawn needs just as much water as it does in the summer months. Watering allows the new seedlings root systems to become established and fertilizers will be able to sink into the ground better. By carrying out lawn care during the fall you will be able to enjoy the benefits of a beautiful garden all year round.