Lawn Mowers

Fall lawn care is very important when it comes to maintaining a healthy looking lawn. Failure to prepare your lawn for the winter can mean dead patches of grass in the spring. A thin lawn and it also can provide shelter for lots of animals through the winter if the leaves and other debris are not removed. They make little trails under the snow. Also under the debris and leaves, which will kill the grass and leave a patchwork looking lawn in the spring.  Raking debris and leaves in the fall before the snow arrives can prevent this and keep your lawn looking great. Consumers can do most of the work themselves. However they can also arrange for contractors and lawn care companies to do the work that is needed on their behalf. Whatever you decide, the following should be considered as part of your regular fall lawn care routine.

Fall Lawn Care Routines

One of the main steps is to make sure that all leaves and any other debris is removed from the lawn. Leaves on the lawn provide shelter for small animals to burrow under and they also suffocate the grass. Rake up all of the leaves, dead branches and any other material that is on your lawn. You can use the leaves for composting or bag the leaves which the city will pick up.

Cut your grass and keep it relatively short. this also prevents the small animal problem. Mice, moles and other rodents cannot make a home in the long grass over the winter if it is kept short.

Apply fall fertilizer to promote root growth and prepare the grass for winter. The fertilizer should be applied in late fall  while the grass is still growing so it can be absorbed and utilized by the plants. Applied too late it will just sit there or runoff during rain storms etc and not be absorbed by your grass.

Apply Grass Seed

Also apply grass seed early in the fall when there is at least a month of growing season left. This way the seeds have time to germinate and grow before winter sets in. This will thicken your lawn and fight off the weeds that may try to penetrate your lawn. The best deterrent for weeds is a healthy, thick and well looked after lawn. Weeds will still penetrate in a few locations, however in most areas they will be smothered by the healthy grass which is exactly what you want to happen. The need to apply weed control will be less which saves money and helps the environment as well. Your lawn will look great all year round as a result.

Simple steps, that will contribute to a great looking lawn next spring that the average person can do quite easily.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.