Autumn Lawn Care Tips

All spring and summer you've worked to have the greenest, lushest lawn possible. Once fall arrives, there are still important steps you should take to care for your lawn and prepare it for the colder winter months. This will help you get a head start on a full and healthy lawn once the seasons change again next spring.

Here are some things to keep in mind as you make plans for fall lawn care.

Mow

Don't stop mowing until the grass stops growing. Don't cut the grass too short and try to get away with one fewer trip around the yard with the mower. Keep your mower set at the same height you've had it all summer, and keep the lawn trimmed and healthy and continue to care for it until late fall.

Fertilize

Depending on where you live, your lawn may consist of either cool-season grasses such as ryegrass, bluegrass or fescue, or warm-season grasses such as Bermuda. As the name implies, warm-season grasses should be fertilized in the late summer months, and cool-season grasses should be fertilized later in the fall. If you are not sure which kind of grass you have on your lawn, you can pick a time in between for fertilizing. Most grass varieties can be safely fertilized in late September.

Some fertilizers have added potassium. This helps to winterize the grass and help it survive the winter. Using a fertilizer with an added nutrient such as potassium is an especially good idea in northern climates.

Rake

Even in colder months, your lawn needs sunlight and fresh air to fight off diseases. Don't allow fallen leaves to remain on your lawn through the fall and into the winter. Mow these leaves with a mulching mower, being sure to finely chop them if you plan to leave them in place. Or, take care to rake all the leaves from your lawn at the end of the fall. You can add these leaves to your compost pile for the winter, along with the grass clippings from the last lawn cutting of the season.

Raking is also an important way to dethatch your lawn every fall. Removing the layers of dead grass that accumulate on your lawn will allow air and sun to reach the soil. This kind of care will be rewarded with a thicker, greener lawn next spring.

Weed

Weeding is another important step in fall lawn care. You don't want weeds lying dormant in your lawn all winter, only to germinate and spread come spring. Many companies offer a combination fertilizer and pre-emergence weed killer - sometimes called "weed and feed" - which can be applied at the same time using a spreader.

Aerate

If the soil in your yard is particularly hard-packed, you might want to aerate the lawn this fall. Compacted soil prevents water from seeping in to nourish grass, and hard-packed dirt can inhibit the spread of a healthy root system for your grass. Your local lawn care center or equipment rental center likely has aerators available for daily rental. These devices use a cylinder to pull up plugs of soil from your lawn, loosening the dirt and allowing rainwater, fertilizer and seeds to penetrate the surface and thrive.