Fall lawn care often isn’t the first thing we think of to keep our lawns healthy. But now that the cool air of fall (and rain) is upon us and it really is the time to get your lawn and landscaping in order. Fall is a great time to prep your yard so that it can stay healthy and look awesome next summer.
Fall Lawn Care Tips:
- Return your mower to its pre-summer height. Cutting your lawn so that it is shorter in the fall helps reduce matting and damage from leaves and snow. Keeping your lawn at a healthy height – about 2 inches – will reduce weeds and keep your lawn’s root system vibrant.
- Adjust your watering. If the rains have come then it is time to reduce your watering system’s output. Overwatering is wasteful and can cause grasses to die from fungal diseases and other issues.
- Overseed your lawn. Take a proactive approach to brown and bare spots in your yard with overseeding. Lawns that have a chance to gain root growth in the fall and winter are better able to withstand the summer’s heat.
- Fertilize cool-season grasses. Fall is the best season to fertilize those cool-season grasses that thrive in the cooler Pacific Northwest weather.
- Lay sod. Fall is also a great time to lay new sod if you have been planning to make that happen.
- Aerate. Prevent thatch, which can lead to disease and insect damage, by aerating your lawn. Aeration, which basically consists of pulling plugs out of your lawn, improves drainage and loosens soil helping your lawns root system stay healthy.
- Remove leaves and debris. Don’t let your grass smother under that carpet of fallen leaves you have been admiring for its beauty. Clean up fallen leaves and put them on your compost pile. Don’t compost? Find out how here.
- Drain irrigation lines. Have irrigation? Fall is the time to drain them and put them away, if necessary, before they freeze and crack in winter’s freezing weather.