As the cold weather makes its way south, now is a perfect time to consider the shape of your lawn and if it is ready to make it through the long, cold winter. The mistake that many homeowners make is waiting too long to prepare their lawn for the cold. and missing the opportunity to see the fruits of their labor come spring. Before it gets too frigid, and you are no longer motivated to hit the great outdoors, consider these 8 fall lawn care musts!

8 Fall Lawn Care Tips For Spring Green!

1. Test Your Soil

Although typically not something homeowners do, testing your soil in the fall is an excellent idea. It is difficult to know what your soil is lacking, specifically, if you don’t periodically take a sample. Once you know what you are missing nutrient-wise, you can make corrections so you will be ahead of the game for spring green! 

2. Stop Fertilizing

When fertilizing, you want to ideally feed your lawn for up to six to eight weeks before we experience the first frost. If you have Bermudagrass, the time frame should be closer to four to five weeks before. If you fertilize any later, you can interfere with the dormancy that your lawn is naturally supposed to go through, which will leave your lawn vulnerable throughout the cold winter months.

3. Overseed

To stop your lawn from turning brown and unappealing, overseed it with a cool season grass. That way, you will have a much prettier landscaping until spring. Once the warm season returns, overseed again to limit thinning, so you will have an actively growing lawn for the spring.

4. Rid Your Lawn of Leaves!

Who doesn’t love the colorful autumn leaf change? Your lawn! When you allow leaves to fall and don’t address them, it can result in rotting that will kill your grass. Leaves are a great fertilizer when you use them as a fertilizer, but not if you allow piles of leaves to sit without tidying up. Leaves in mounds that aren’t cleaned up will decompose and lead to fungal growth. It will also limit the natural sunlight that your grass needs, and the grass’s ability to store all the nutrients required to make it successfully through the winter months. If those mounds lead to disease, they can also eliminate your grass’s capacity to absorb oxygen.

5. Weed Prevention

Some weeds are easiest to target during the dormant season. Try to spot-treat weeds using a post-emergent herbicide. It will work to target the weed growth only, and leave your lawn in tact.

6. Cut Back on Watering, But Don’t Stop

Although it seems like your lawn doesn’t need any care, it does. During the fall and winter months, it is okay to cut back on watering, but don’t eliminate it completely. Any amount of precipitation at least once a week will be adequate though so once we start getting regular rainfall you can usually turn the irrigation system off.. Also, although our area might not get as many freeze cycles as other regions, pay close attention to your sprinkler systems. Carefully monitor any spigots so that they don’t freeze over the winter.

7. Forget Dethatching and Aeration

Aerating and dethatching might sometimes help strengthen lawns, but they can also be difficult on grasses. Save both aeration and dethatching for spring and summer when your warm-season grass is most active and can withstand the punishment.

8. The Best Fall Lawn Care Tip – Hire a Professional

You’ve got so much on your plate, why not allow a professional service like Rollin’s Landscaping to not only prepare your lawn for the long winter ahead but also, ensure your landscaping is in good health and ready to make it all the way through. We have the tools and resources to preemptively make your lawn as green as possible when spring showers grace our area. Contact us today to schedule your fall lawn clean-up/winter preparation.