Despite what you might think, fall lawn care is crucial to having a healthy yard, year-round. Not only does the right care restore damage done to your lawn during summer, but it also helps your lawn get into the best shape possible before winter hits. So what key lawn care steps should Holly Springs, NC area homeowners take in their yards this fall? Here’s a look:
Lawn Care for Cool Season Grasses
Aerate your lawn. During the summer months, your lawn experiences plenty of use, which can often result in soil compaction. And when your soil gets compacted, grass roots can’t breathe and can even begin to suffocate. Likewise, they can’t take in enough nutrients from the soil, or sunlight and water, to stay healthy and grow strong. But when you aerate your soil, you can dramatically reduce compaction – not to mention thick surface thatch – by creating pathways for your lawn to take in more key essentials.
Seed your lawn. If you’re noticing bare spots, thin areas, or grass that’s a little sparse overall, then fall is the optimal time to seed your lawn. When you aerate first, you’re going to see better results. That’s because the aeration process provides better seed-to-soil contact, leading to higher rates of germination. For the highest rate of germination and a beautiful lawn quickly, nothing beats the Lawn Doctor Power Seeder! This machine can turn a bare dirt lawn to a beautiful lawn by Thanksgiving!
Fertilize your lawn. As Holly Springs area lawn care experts, we know when you fertilize your lawn in the fall, you’re taking two important steps. First, you’re giving your lawn key nutrients to repair damage and wear and tear brought on by summer activities, as well as heat and drought. At the same time, you’re enabling your lawn to store up energy reserves for winter and helping it grow in greener and stronger next spring.
Treat for weeds! Many weeds germinate in the fall and want to stay in the lawn all winter. Treating in the fall will prevent these from growing and making seeds for the next generation of weeds. Now is a very active time for weeds.
Keep your lawn clean and well-maintained. During the fall, you should continue to cut your lawn until it stops growing. In addition, clean up any wood or leaf piles on your lawn, which can attract insects and pests, not to mention provide an ideal environment for lawn diseases to spread. You might consider replacing your blade if you plan on mulching leaves this fall.
Water if necessary. Each week, your lawn needs around one to two inches of water to stay healthy. If it’s not getting that amount from rain, then water your lawn. Just make sure you do it once a week, deeply, rather than providing several shallow waterings throughout the week.
Lawn Care for Warm Season Grasses
Fertilize your lawn. We cut back on the nitrogen in the fall so your lawn can go dormant without having the nitrogen stress the lawn out by encouraging the lawn to grow. Now is also the best time to apply pre-emergents to keep winter weeds from coming up this winter. It is also a good time to add nutrients like potassium and phosphorus along with lime if needed.
Treat for weeds! Many weeds germinate in the fall and want to stay in the lawn all winter. Treating in the fall will prevent these from growing and making seeds for the next generation of weeds. Now is a very active time for weeds.
Mow your lawn to the height that you want it to be all winter. Remember that your grass will go dormant soon and you will not be able to raise the grass height when that happens.
Water if necessary. We still have some warm days ahead and your lawn still needs water. Granted it does not need the full one inch of water per week as in the summer but it needs water. You don’t want to stress the grass before it goes dormant!
Get Professional Lawn Care Help in the Holly Springs Area
If you’d rather leave the hassle of lawn care to the Holly Springs area experts, call in Lawn Doctor of Southern Wake County. Our local lawn care technicians can provide you with one-time solutions, as well as year-round care. Whatever your lawn needs, you can always rely on us for honest answers, premium products, proprietary equipment – and the best lawn care service guarantee in the business.
To learn more or set up a free lawn care assessment, call Lawn Doctor of Southern Wake County today at 919.977.4379. Our lawn care services are available in Holly Springs, Garner, Knightdale, Fuquay Varina, Clayton, and Willow Springs, NC, as well as the surrounding communities.
