Caring for Your Lawn This Fall

Ah, fall. The leaves turn and the temperature drops, creating a cozy segue into winter. While your home needs some special care to transition into the cooler months, so does your lawn. Despite popular belief that summer and spring and the most crucial seasons for landscaping, the fall is an important time for getting your yard into tip top shape—and staying that way. Read on to learn tips from the Jenks local movers about how you can take care of your yard this fall.

So what are some mistakes homeowners make when it comes to landscaping, or a lack thereof?

• They let the grass starve, letting the lawn go into the winter without the kind of nourishment that can really build up the roots.

• They allow tree leaves to smother the grass, robbing the lawn of the sunlight it needs for photosynthesis and bright healthy plants.

• They stop mowing prematurely. Grass should be mowed until it stops growing. Maintain the same mower height setting throughout the fall. Don't be tempted to mow the grass short going into winter.

Feeding is the most important thing you can do for your lawn this fall. Not only can you repair summer damage to the lawn in the fall and over the winter, but that they can actually improve the lawn so it will be healthier and have fewer weeds in the spring. The product “Scott's Winterizer” is a great tool for fall feeding and it is high in nitrogen and potassium, which will nourish grass. Fertilizer is not the place to skimp on a few dollars—you definitely get what you pay for and you don't want to have generic grass, do you?

At first, a lot of the improvement in your lawn will be dramatic, as you see recovery from summer damage. But don't stop there. The real improvement comes with the second feeding in late fall. This second fall feeding helps to lock in the early fall gains in turf vitality and carry them forward into next spring. This late-fall winterizing gives your grass everything it needs to prepare for winter. The roots will absorb and store these vital nutrients, helping to make it the first yard to sprout up with bright green grass in the spring.

Also, lawns need about an inch of water a week to thrive. If you are not getting enough rainfall, you may need to water your lawn. Finally, aerate the lawn if you find that it has more than a half-inch of thatch. This process will help get more oxygen to the soil, boosting growth and health.