Fall Lawn Care Ideas

Lawns can go through a lot of stress during the fall months as summer fades and winter approaches. If you are not careful, come spring, you can end up with a yard where all the grass has died and weeds will take over. There are several fall lawn care tasks to keep your lawn in good shape to last through the winter and into spring.

Soil pH Test

Fall is a good time to get a simple soil testing kit from your local garden center. Follow the directions to take a sample of the soil and see just how acidic it is. Most lawns will require an application of lime, or calcium carbonate to raise the pH to about 7. Soil that tests below 6 on the pH scale will be too acid for proper lawn growth. Lime comes in different formulations but find one that has a calcium carbonate equivalency of between 70 to 100. An improved pH level will free up some of the nutrients in the soil to be available for the lawn.

Mulch Leaves

During the fall, instead of raking the leaves off your lawn, mow them into mulch. This will take several mowings and you can usually finish it within two weeks after all the leaves have fallen. If you do it several times, you will keep the leaves from building up and getting soggy on the lawn.

Dethatch

If you are the kind of gardener that likes to fertilize your lawn during the year, you probably have a buildup of thatch in your lawn. Dethatch your lawn in fall to get it healthy for the winter. Use a stiff rake to pull back the dead dry grass at the base of the grass plants. Don't rake so hard that you pull up the green grass. Add the thatch you remove to your compost pile.

Reseed

Fall is a good time to reseed your lawn. Look over your lawn and see of there are any patches that are not growing well. Sprinkle the seed over the area and keep people and animals from walking on it until it is established. It should grow quickly in the cool temperatures and be ready for any early snow.