The Ultimate Guide to Fall Lawn Care

Prepare Your Lawn and Do Damage Control

Like your grass, weeds are growing a lot during the fall and will soak up anything you give to it: water and weed killer alike. With the help of Bonide Weed Beater Ultra, you can get rid of lawn weeds for good.

Test Your Soil

Perform a soil test on your lawn to determine what type and what amount of nutrients your grass craves. Commonly, a Calcium/Pelletized Lime supplement will do the trick of boosting success when overseeding later in the season.

First Round of Fertilizer

The key to success for fall lawn care is two rounds of fertilizing. The first should be done at the end of September. We recommend Greenview Starter Fertilizer when overseeding, Greenview Fairway Fall when not seeding.

Remove Thatch and Aerate

Throughout the summer, frequent use, mowing, and overheating, can compact your lawn and create a layer of dead grass and organic material that suffocates your lawn. Using a hard rake, remove as much dead grass as you can. Then aerate your lawn using a core aerator, aerating shoes, or pelletized gypsum, depending on your preferences and lawn needs. Aerating will not eliminate thatch, but merely delay its development. If you have a substantial layer of thatch, dethatching may be necessary.

Apply Topsoil or Compost

Raking and aerating will likely leave your lawn in need of fresh, new soil. Apply leaf compost or topsoil about a quarter in thick, and rake into your lawn. You may want to mix the topsoil with compost for even more nutrients.

Overseed

Now is the time to overseed. Using a high-quality fescue blend, apply based on the recommendations on the seed’s package. If you have patches that need extra love, fill them in first, but be sure to then seed the entire lawn so the new area grows and blends in with the rest.

Cover With EZ Straw or Penn Mulch

In order to help retain moisture in the soil for the seeds, cover with a thin layer of mulch. A thin layer will eventually decompose naturally. For best results, add EZ Straw or Penn mulch after seeding.

Water, Water, Water!

The next few weeks are crucial to the health of your lawn. After seeding, six weeks of daily morning waterings, or moderate rainfall, is advised to achieve optimum results. If you live in an exceptionally hot and dry area, watering twice daily may be necessary. Grass seed must stay moist until germination or it will die.

Continue Cutting

As the grass continues to grow, cut it back to 3 and a half inches every time it reaches 5 inches. Gradually lower the blade each time you cut. This will be shorter than usual but it will indicate to your lawn that it is time to hibernate.

Winterize

When you have moved your grass 4 times, apply a fall winterizer for an overwinter feeding. This will usually be done in early November. We recommend Greenview Fairway Fall fertilizer.

Tend to Falling Leaves

If you do not remove your leaves they will block the much-needed sunlight from reaching your grass and ruin all the hard work you have done in the past months.  It is best to use a blower to remove the leaves so that you don’t pull the tender grass plants from the soil.  If you choose to mulch your leaves rather than rake them, your lawnmower will do the trick.