Fall Lawn Care Tips
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Lawn care tends to fall by the wayside when summer winds down, but don’t stop quite yet. A little effort in fall pays off with a green, healthy lawn when spring rolls around in a few short months.
Wondering what you can do to can help your lawn in autumn? Here are a few tips.
- Continue to mow regularly, but drop the mower’s blade slightly for the last two mowings. Shorter height allows more sunlight to reach the grass.
- Similarly, continue to water your lawn during dry spells.
- Aerate your lawn so it can breathe, and to ensure water and nutrients can reach the roots. An aerator will neatly punch holes in the lawn. Rake up the extracted plugs.
- If you notice a lot of thin or bare patches, overseed your lawn, using a lawn seed created for Canadian climates. A product enhanced with nutrients will provide fast, effective results. Shortly after aeration is a good time for this job.
- Rake leaves as they fall and don’t wait until they all come down; raking a wet, matted mess is no fun and wet leaves can also promote fungal disease.
- Fertilize your lawn, using a slow-release lawn food with a ratio such as 33-0-3. This way, you help your lawn build up resistance for the cold winter ahead, with better growth in spring.
- Alternatively, if broadleaf weeds have taken over, apply a bio weed and feed lawn food with a ratio such as 9-0-0. Fertilizing is most effective when temperatures are consistently above 60 F.
- Reseed bald spots. Use a seed suitable for Canadian climates, such as a nutrient-enriched blend of grass seeds.
- If grubs are a problem, control the pests with nematodes -- microscopic larvae that dine on grubs in the soil. Mix the nematodes with water according to package directions, then apply the mixture with a hand-held or hose-end sprayer. Water the lawn lightly to wash the nematodes into the soil.
- Do a walk-through and pick up garden tools, lawn furniture, toys and branches before winter sets in.
