What should I do to care for my lawn in the fall?

Tips to care for your lawn when the leaves start to fall!

Don't skip fertilization and weed control.

Fertilization and weed control is a simple, but important task to include in your fall lawn care. Both cool season and warm season lawns benefit from fertilization and weed control during the fall. Be sure that you apply the right products for your lawn variety. Weed controls that are applied during this time will help suppress winter annual weed varietiesand also prevent certainweed varieties from growing in the spring.

Be sure to aerate and overseed your fescue lawn.

Fall is the time of year when your fescue or cool season lawn needs aeration and overseeding. Canopy Lawn Care recommends core aeration not only penetrates the soil, it removes soil plugs which remain on the surface of the lawn so that their nutrients can be absorbed back in. The holes that are left, alleviate soil compaction, improve air circulation and nutrient and water absorption. When combined with overseeding, your cool season lawn will fill in with fresh, healthy new growth. Aeration and overseeding should be performed every year in the fall.

Continue mowing your lawn throughout the fall season.

You should continue to mow your lawn throughout the fall season. Cool season grasses like fescue will continue to grow well into the fall and winter. Warm season grass gross begins to slow down prior to winter dormancy, but the turf should still be mowed. Consider lowering your mower height by 1-2" depending on its current setting and your grass type. Before the last 2 mowings of the season, drop the mower height to the lowest setting, but be sure not to remove more than 1/3 of the grass blade at one time. This will help sunlight continue to reach your grass during the winter season.

Don't stop watering your lawn.

Many people often believe that they can stop watering their lawn when the summer heat begins to subside. Your lawn still needs water during the fall season. Continue to give your lawn 1" of water per week throughout the fall.

Clear fallen leaves from the surface of your lawn.

Your lawn still needs to receive sunlight during the fall and winter. Leaves should not be considered insulation for your lawn and should be cleared on a regular basis. Mulching some of the leaves with your mower will add natural fertilizer to your lawn. Heavy leaf coverage should be raked or blown off the lawn surface.