Take advantage of cool fall weather to fertilize, control weeds, and improve the health and appearance of your yard. A little work now will pave the way for a lush, green carpet when temperatures warm up again in spring.
If a summer drought persists into autumn, considered watering your turf deeply a couple of times before freezing weather sets in. A couple of deep soaks, moistening the soil several inches, before the soil freezes helps the lawn transition to winter. Frequently the fall weather pattern will change and nature will provide the moisture for you. If you have to water, do so in the morning, when the winds are lighter, limiting evaporation.
If you are interested in a sprinkler system, we are a licensed lawn sprinkler company dedicated to creating the most efficient irrigation system for a healthy lawn. If you have an existing irrigation system, now is a great time for a service call to prepare for winter weather.
Fall is the best time to fertilize if you’ve overseeded your lawn with a cool season grass like ryegrass. It helps your lawn green up earlier and look better in spring.
Avoid fertilizing dormant warm-season grasses.
Creating a healthy, lush lawn is the best way to choke out those weeds. Focus on adding fertilizer to provide essential nutrients when needed. Smaller weeds usually will get shaded out when your lawn is in top shape. For larger weeds, call us for expert pre emergent lawn treatment.
Aeration improves drainage, reduces thatch, and loosens soil. Core aerators are the preferred type of aerators. They remove plugs of soil, or cores, breaking up thatch and improving soil structure. The cores are left on top of the turf and slowly break up depending on rain, mowing, and traffic on the turf. Aerate cool-season grasses in early fall and warm-season grasses in spring. First Response Lawn Care provides aeration services.
Early fall is an ideal time to reseed dead or thin patches in cool-season lawns. If you seed in autumn, you’ll have fewer weeds to deal with next year. And the seedlings will become established before stressful hot weather conditions arrive. A mulch product embedded with seed and fertilizer is a convenient way to fill the gaps. Be sure to prepare the soil bed with a rake before seeding and encourage quick germination by watering new seed regularly for a couple of weeks after application.