How To Care For Your Lawn During The Fall Months

Posted on September 26th, 2016 by Devine Bros

Want a beautiful, healthy, green lawn during the spring? Then don’t forget about your lawn this fall! Early autumn is a great time to repair the damage caused from the summer fun, and also ensure good conditions for the following seasons.

Follow these steps to help you care for your lawn this fall season:

Step #1: Remove The Leaves
Playing in the colorful autumn leaves is something all kids enjoy. Unfortunately, the leaves are no good for the grass – they block light and trap moisture. So, when the leaves begin to fall, rake them away as often as you can. If you don’t, the ground under the pile of leaves will become soggy and decay once spring comes.

Step #2: Continue Watering
Lawns need water whenever it’s dry – no matter the season. Early morning is the best time of day to water your lawn. The winds are usually lighter, so you will waste less water due to evaporation. Keep your sprinklers or irrigation system running until the end of October – by that time, you will want to disconnect hoses to avoid frozen pipes.

Step #3: Loosen The Soil
You should aerate your lawn once every few years to improve drainage and loosen the soil. Make sure you aerate before you lay down fertilizer – the holes that the aeration process makes will help the fertilizer reach the roots, where it can do the most good.

Step #4: Add Fertilizer
Adding fertilizer to your lawn protects the roots from freezing and gives the grass energy for the spring. It also aids in root growth, disease protection, and drought tolerance. You should add fertilizer in early September and again during late October or early November.

Step #5: Spread Seed
Overseed warm-season lawns with ryegrass each autumn. Ryegrass provides a lush, green lawn throughout the cool winter. Overseeding is one of the most challenging lawn-care chores; you need to make sure they have contact with the soil, are kept moist, and are well established before it gets too cold outside.

Step #6: Stay On Schedule
Each of the above steps need to be done at the proper time for best results. Do you want to aerate in the spring? Unfortunately, spring aeration makes it easier for weed seeds to get established. Want to overseed in late November? The seedlings will become too tender and won’t survive.

Planning on following this process to keep your lawn healthy for the spring season? Contact the professionals at Devine Bros. for all your landscaping supplies! We are Fairfield County’s #1 provider of landscaping and masonry supplies – all available for pickup or delivery. If you live in Norwalk, Westport, or New Canaan, visit our website for more information, or call us at (203) 866-4421.