Prepare for a Lawn Winter Ahead - Fall Yard Care Projects

Prepare For A Lawn Winter Ahead:

Fall Yard Care Projects



The summer holidays are behind us, and the days are getting cooler - now is the perfect time to "think spring" when it comes to caring for your yard. The few extra hours you invest in your yard over the next month or two will pay off next spring and summer in the form of less work and a faster, better-looking lawn.



Here are some yard care projects you can tackle now

What to do with all the leaves you've raked



Small piles of leaves can be ground up and run over them with a lawn mower. These small pieces of leaves can provide excellent nutrients to your lawn! Do this several times to create a fine mulch for your lawn. Large amounts of leaves will smother your lawn and hinder healthy growth. Remember to either brown bag them, or recycle them in your own compost pile!



It's the very best time to seed your lawn



If you are establishing a new lawn or just filling in bare patches, fall is the best time to take on this task to ensure success with your cool season grass. The warm soil combined with cool nights is perfect for grass seed germination. Start with high quality seed that matches what is already growing in your lawn – the local garden center will have mixes appropriate for the colder climate. Disperse the seed with a hand-held seeder or, for larger areas, with your spreader. Be sure you have good soil-to-seed contact by tamping, rolling or lightly pressing the seeds down with the back of a rake. Add a light layer of paper mulch or straw (not hay – it will contain weed seeds!) on top of the area to help conserve moisture. Sprinkle with water immediately and don't let the soil dry out until the young grass has sprouted. For a complete "how to" on seeding or laying sod, visit our tutorials.



Get rid of those weeds once and for all

If you finally want to get rid of those yellow flowers that pop up every spring, fall is the best time to do it. Dandelions are "broadleaf" weeds that germinate in the fall and drive you crazy in spring. The ideal time to control this type of broadleaf weed ranges from early October in the northern U.S. to late October in the South. You want to apply a broadleaf herbicide as the weeds germinate. A liquid herbicide that you spray on will help ensure contact with the new, small weeds as they germinate. Dandelions are a main target, but this will also control all winter annual weeds that flower in the spring.



Feed your lawn

If you live in the northern half of the United States, you have what is classified as "cool season" grass, and now is the best time to fertilize. In fact, if you were to only fertilize once a year, this is would be the time to do it. The warm soil temperature combined with cooler days, longer nights and rainfall make this the perfect time for lawn growth and recovery. In fall, your lawn spreads horizontally, filling in those thin spots, rather than just growing tall. Feed your lawn with a good nitrogen and potassium combination fertilizer. Watch the video tutorial on how to fertilize at by clicking here.



Draw up your plan for spring

You've enjoyed your yard all summer and you know what you like the best and the least. Why not plan your changes now and even start implementing them? Maybe it is time to finally create a stone or wood chip pathway to the kids' play area where foot traffic has worn out the lawn. Do you need to separate those overgrown perennials? This is the time to remove and replant bulbs and divide clumps of plants and share them with your neighbors. Also, mark your flower beds using permanent marker on paint stir sticks or draw up a "map" of your flowerbeds so you will know what you have next spring and more easily be able to separate the good plants from the weeds. Fall is also a good time to add new trees to your landscape.