6 Tips for Fall Lawn Maintenance

If you dream of a vibrant, lush, and thick lawn, then proper lawn care is essential. Moreover, a beautiful lawn in the spring starts in the fall.

Autumn is the best time to take steps to restore any damage from summer and help your lawn survive our frigid Canadian winters. Without this essential fall lawn maintenance, your grass can die or fail to grow back to its full glory.

However, lawn care can sometimes feel like rocket science. It can be difficult to know exactly what your lawn needs, from bare spots to thin patches and yellowing grass to poor growth.

And since the condition of your lawn in the spring is significantly impacted by what you do in the fall, it’s crucial to do the right things.

While there is no substitute for professional lawn care, you can take a few steps to help your lawn thrive. Here are our top 6 fall maintenance tips to help your lawn endure winter and look amazing come spring!

1. Feed your lawn

The secret to a lush spring lawn is fall fertilization. You should give your lawn a good feeding after the weather starts to cool but before the ground freezes. If you wait until the first cold snap, then your lawn won’t absorb any of the nutrients contained in the fertilizer.

Fertilizing in the fall provides your lawn with the nutrients it needs to break down fallen leaves, survive the cold winter, and have healthy growth in warmer weather.

In fact, many of these nutrients are stored in the roots over winter and not accessed until the first sign of spring. As a result, you’re more likely to have a vibrant green lawn right away.

2. Repair bare spots

Summer can be tough on lawns. It’s common to have bare spots, which can be caused by heat, drought, or foot traffic.

Early fall is the perfect time to repair some of this damage! By overseeding and immediately aerating your lawn, you can fill in these bare spots and thicken existing grass.

Whenever you seed your lawn, it’s essential to keep the top of the soil moist. We recommend watering once a day (or as needed!) and continue doing so until the grass seedlings are of mowing height.

3. Keeping mowing

You should continue mowing your lawn throughout autumn. It’s only time to put away the lawnmower once the grass has stopped growing completely.

However, it’s best to keep your lawn shorter in the fall. By the time late fall rolls around, you should be cutting the grass one to two inches shorter. The very last cut of the season should be even lower—as short as one inch!

This helps prevent snow mould from developing over winter.

4. Rake the leaves

Autumn is synonymous with red and orange falling leaves. Although beautiful to look at, these leaves also imply something else: raking.

Whether you love or hate this autumn chore, raking fallen leaves is important for lawn health.

As leaves accumulate over your lawn, they block sunlight. The grass then thins as it is unable to store food in its roots. Consequently, neglecting to rake the leaves away is detrimental to the health and vibrancy of your lawn.

If you choose, you can mulch the leaf litter with your lawn mower and then spread fertilizer over this mulch. The soil microbes will be able to break down the leaves.

5. Aeration

Your lawn may not need to be aerated every year, but it’s a good idea to check. Aeration should be performed early in the fall, so the grass has at least four weeks to recover. You do not want to aerate right before the first frost of the season!

The amount of thatch determines if you need to aerate. If your lawn has thatch that’s more than half an inch thick, then aerating is essential for loosening soil compaction and promoting root growth.

Aeration essentially punches small holes into the ground, allowing water, light, and air to reach the soil.

Fertilizer should be applied after aeration. This helps the grass to recover and grow faster.

6. Clear your lawn

Leaves aren’t the only things that can smother your lawn in the fall. Garden tools, lawn furniture, and other yard accessories all block sunlight.

Without this precious sunlight, your grass can’t build up the necessary root stores to survive winter. It will likely decay and turn into a slimy, soft mess. Not only does this look awful, but it also means more work for you in the spring!

Fall Lawn Care with Peer Exterior Maintenance!

Caring for your lawn in the fall is essential for its long-term health and springtime appearance. Fertilization, overseeding, raking leaves, regular mowing, and aerating are all important lawn maintenance steps in the fall.

You should also remove any objects that sit on your lawn and block sunlight from reaching the grass.

Although there’s no harm in understanding how to care for your lawn, lawn maintenance is best left to the professionals. They have the knowledge and equipment to keep your lawn looking its best for many years to come.

That’s why Peel Exterior Maintenance offers commercial lawn maintenance in Georgetown. Our expert industry professionals will get your lawn ready for winter with superb fall lawn maintenance.

To learn more about commercial lawn maintenance in Georgetown, call Peel Exterior Maintenance at 1-905-873-8988 or contact us here.