Fall is a Great Time for Renovating Lawns

Break Time For Your Lawn

With many areas experiencing drought this year, the lawns are all looking a little forlorn. As a homeowner, you have done what you could, but it doesn't seem to be enough. With fall coming, there is a small reprieve to help to renovate that tired, thirsty lawn.

• As the weather cools and turns to autumn, more rain may be on the way as we head to winter. As long as it rains where you live and there are no government declarations of drought or the need to conserve water, you really don't have to water the lawn in the morning and/or evening to keep it green until the first frost. When a frost advisory is announced on the nightly news, stop watering.


• Aerating the lawn seems like a spring thing, and although aerating can wake up a lawn in spring, doing it in the fall as well gives it time to breathe and make room for new blades of grass in the spring.


• After aerating, weed and feed and additional seeding where needed can take place. The lawn is ready to except the extra nutrients, herbicides and seeds that will remain partially dormant during the winter but will spring anew in, well, spring.


• Look for weed and feed combos with a good amount of nitrogen and moss killers, if you happen to have moss springing up in and around your foundation. Moss likes to grow in cool, shady moist areas, and the sides of your home that don't receive a lot of sunlight but collect a lot of rain or sprinkler water is where you will find patches of it.


• A helpful mnemonic for the most basic lawn care duty is, "Don't stop mowing until the grass stops growing!". Some warm Indian summer days in mid to late autumn can confuse the lawn and keep it growing, and provide the perfect Petri dish for disease if it's not mowed. If you mulch, have a really solid idea where that mulch should go to avoid the same issues.

Your lawn requires seasonal changes in care and maintenance. A lawn is not a naturally occurring thing in nature and requires your attention in every season but winter for obvious reasons. Mid autumn and early spring are the best times to provide a renewing to your lawn. Knowing what you can do and when and how to do it makes all the difference, even if you are in a drought area. While caring for your lawn in each season isn't common knowledge and has to be learned over time, as a homeowner who cares you will be able to achieve stunning results with basic lawn care which includes mowing, aerating, seeding, weeding, and feeding. If your problems have more to do with lumps and bumps and thatch, either learning for yourself how to treat these issues or asking questions of lawn care professionals, like the Garden Escapes staff, will point you in the right direction.