As summer winds down, fall is slowly approaching and some homeowners see this as a time to put lawn care on the back burner. Because fall is full of cooler temperatures and the occasional rainfall, this is the perfect time to get your yard ready for spring.

Typically, homeowners believe that their lawns don’t need as much care in the fall since the grass grows at a slower speed. This is actually the opposite. During the fall, your grass is preparing for the winter by absorbing nutrients, moisture and energy. If you pay it some attention now, come spring, you’ll be rewarded with a beautiful, healthy lawn. Here are a few suggestions we have for you!

  1. As we make our way through fall, make sure that you continue to water and mow your lawn when it is necessary. When the season starts to come to an end, ensure that your lawnmower’s blade is on its lowest setting for your last couple of cuttings of the year. This settings allows more sunlight to spread to the crown of the grass and less of a chance of turning brown during the colder months.
  2. Fall is a great time to aerate your lawn to allow fertilizer, water and oxygen to reach your grass’ roots. An aerator will put holes into your soil and remove any plugs of dirt. For homeowners with large yards, save yourself the trouble and hire a professional landscaper with aerator experience.
  3. We understand that raking up the leaves in your yard isn’t the most fun, but it’s a necessary part of fall lawn care. You’ll want to start raking as soon as they start fall. If you wait, they can get wet from dew and rain, stick together and create a solid mass that if untouched, can smother the grass and create fungal diseases. If you really don’t want to rake leaves, you can use a lawnmower with a fitter bag to collect leaves.
  4. If your lawn has any bare or bald spots, fall is a great time to fix them. This can easily be done with an all-in-one lawn repair combination. This ready to use mixture includes lawn fertilizer, organic mulch and grass seed and can be found at garden shops or home centers. Loosen up the soil of the bald spots with a rake then spread a thick later of the mixture. Compact, water thoroughly and continue watering every other day for the next couple of weeks.
  5. Fall is the time to take control of weeds, like dandelions, that have taken over your lawn. Much like plants, weeds are absorbing energy during the fall weather. Weeds will take it anything that comes at them, including water and weed killers. If you use a herbicide now, the weeds shouldn’t come back in the spring.

For more lawn care tips or to schedule any fall cleanup services, contact Done Right Landscape today! We can be reached by calling 781-858-8000 or by filling out our online contact form.