By the end of the summer, the long hot days have taken their toll. If you’re feeling tired, worn out and a little scorched around the edges, imagine how your lawn feels. Both of you could probably use a little revitalization.
Lawns thinned by hot dry summers, foot traffic and pests are prime candidates for a fall revitalization program. Weeds should be pulled, and the site should be prepared before planting.
Photo Credit: Jodi Torpey
Fall into good lawn care practices now, so you can spring into a healthy yard later!
Photo Credit: Jodi Torpey
Tall Fescue is a cool-season grass that adapts best to the northern US and mountain regions.
Photo Credit: ©2000 Dolezal Publishing
Fall is the ideal time to begin a soil cultivation program for your yard because by the end of August, lawns (like their caretakers) start looking forward to autumn’s cooler days. Cool-season turfgrasses, like Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue and perennial ryegrass, grow best during cool weather.
A complete fall lawn care program includes three key elements: core aerating, fertilizing and overseeding. When used together, these three practices help develop a strong, healthy root system.
Aeration is the first step – and the best way to start. Aeration is the process of pulling small cores of soil out of the ground. Opening up the soil surface allows water and important nutrients to move into the root zone, helping turfgrass recover from summer stresses and preparing it to survive next summer’s heat. Core-aerate using equipment (which you can usually rent) that pulls plugs 3 or 4 inches deep out of the ground on 4-inch centers. Apply fall fertilizer and grass seed just after aerating, always following label instructions.
Turf experts recommend fertilizing in fall before the grass turns brown. In fact, the fall fertilizer application is the most important one of the year because feeding during this time helps the grass green up faster in spring. Apply a fertilizer with a good balance of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, and preferably one that’s a “slow-release” formula to help provide season-long fertilization.
Overseeding will help fill in those areas that have been thinned from drought, weeds or pests. If you do it right after aerating, you’ll have maximum seed-to-soil contact and improve seed germination and lawn density. Be sure to keep the seed moist, but avoid saturating grasses like fescues and bluegrass. Grass seed takes about 10-14 days to germinate.
Some lawns may also need dethatching. Thatch is a thick buildup of organic matter at the base of grass leaf blades. If layers of thatch are over ¾ an inch deep, rent a dethatching machine or hire a lawn care company to remove the layers and thin the turf canopy. Then overseed.
Fall is also the best time to start an entirely new lawn from seed. Test the soil fertility first to determine soil nutrient needs and its pH. Add fertilizer or amendments as needed, then prepare the site for seeding by removing rocks, roots and other debris. Rake the ground so it’s even, and use a spreader to distribute seed uniformly over the prepared site. Water to keep the soil moist, and don’t let seed dry out once it germinates.
If starting an entire new lawn with seed sounds like too much work, you can always plant sod by following the same basics steps for seeding, except you’ll need to water more frequently – and deeply – to make sure the underlying soil is continually moist to encourage strong root growth.
No matter which approach you decide to take, a little extra labor in fall lays the groundwork for a lush lawn next spring!
