Whether you have acres of lawn or just a few square feet, annual maintenance techniques can keep it thriving as fall arrives. Grass, like any other garden species, needs regular water, good soil, and full sunlight conditions. First, ensure these needs are met before rushing to add fertilizer, mulch, or any other amendment.
Lawn health also heavily depends on your local climate. Freezing winters kill some grasses, while intense, burning summers scorch lawns. Fall is ideal for a green lawn, as mild temperatures and ample rainfall help the blades stay perky and fresh.
Let’s get yours back on track as summer fades away. It’ll be a breeze since you have the seasons on your side without intense summer heat. Grab your lawn mower, aerator, and watering hose, and prepare to tend a lush green lawn until winter arrives. If winter is mild in your area, these tricks will help the grass stay green through spring.
Raise PH: Garden Lime
Garden Lime sweetens your soil (raises the pH) to improve plant growth and maximize fertilizer performance. Natural limestone is ground into an ultra-fine powder then prilled into uniform granules for easy spreading. This allows for a rapid reaction time once applied to garden soils and lawns. Lime supplies calcium, an essential nutrient that is required for proper plant growth and development.
Pull Up Dead Grass
You’ll know the grass is dead if it’s not growing despite autumn moisture.
One major eyesore is dead yellow-brown clumps. Frequent dog urination, hot temperatures, and direct sunlight cause these patches. You’ll know the grass is dead if it’s not growing despite moisture being present in autumn. This differs from summer or winter dormancy, when entire lawns turn yellow until favorable conditions arrive.
Pull up dead grass with your hands by raking dry clumps with your fingers. Use gloves if it’s a dead spot from animal urine to avoid touching it. Dispose of dead grass in your compost, or apply it on top of soils as a mulch. Since it’s dry, it’s a brown, carbon-rich material for compost piles. However, avoid doing this with invasive grasses, as they can propagate this way.
You may also use a rake to remove dead clumps if you’d rather not bend over. Rake the spot lightly, pulling the dry blades into a pile. Clearing the dead grass creates an open environment for new seeds to sprout. Remove every dead spot in the fall, and your lawn will be ready for reseeding.
Re-Seed
Apply new grass seeds during autumn when temperatures are cool and rainfall occurs.
Once you pull up the dead patches, you can apply a new grass seed mix to the bare spots. Use a shade-tolerant species like Zoysia for shady gardens, and a sun-loving type if you garden with full sun. Some mixes have a blend of both for mixed conditions. Choose the right types to match your garden’s sun exposure.
Apply new grass seeds to your lawn at the the end of the season when temperatures are cool and rainfall occurs—this is the ideal time for reseeding in northern regions of the U.S. If rain doesn’t happen often during fall in your ecoregion, apply overhead irrigation to keep the soil moist but not soggy. New blades sprout after a week or two when they receive consistent moisture, bright sunlight, and cool temperatures.
Sometimes, new grass will die if early frosts or late heatwaves strike your garden. You may continuously reseed until soil temperatures reach 50°F (10°C) or lower. Apply plenty to the site so they sprout in tight bunches. Freshly germinating grass needs some time to establish itself, so hold off on mowing for a month or two until it can handle the stress.
Water Consistently
Apply irrigation this autumn if you’d like green grasses but live in a dry ecoregion.
Irregular watering coinciding with hot temperatures is the most common reason lawns fail to stay green. Grass, especially when regularly cut, needs lots of water to remain perky and to sprout new blades. Use an overhead sprinkler, or if you have a small section, use a rain wand to keep the site moist.
I stop watering during summer. Here in the Pacific Northwest, lawns enter summer dormancy. Then, fall rains arrive and brighten them up with new green blades. I don’t have to water, since the weather does it for me! The space stays green all winter and spring, then enters dormancy again the next summer.
Apply irrigation this autumn if you’d like green grasses and live in a dry ecoregion. Water deeply once or twice weekly, and let your sprinklers soak the ground. Heavy, infrequent irrigation forces roots to reach deep below the soil for water, whereas frequent light watering causes weak, shallow roots.
Amend With Organic Fertilizer
Apply an organic fertilizer rich in nitrogen during fall, at least a month before your first average frost date.
After two or three years of mowing, grasses may run out of nutrients in poor soils. They need lots of nitrogen to stay green, and plenty of phosphorous and potassium for ample root growth. Apply a nitrogen-rich organic fertilizer to your lawn during fall at least a month before your first average frost date.
Applying fertilizer close to winter forces blades to grow weak and tender growth. Then, when winter freezes arrive, the grass dies completely instead of entering dormancy. Hold off on applying extra nutrients if frost is happening soon.
If you have fine compost or organic mulch, you can also use that as your fertilizer. Put clumps of it in a hand-powered spreader or mulch broadcaster to distribute it evenly over your lawn. The particles will fall to the soil with regular moisture and inject nutrients, microbial life, and porosity into the ground.
Add Lime To Mossy Lawns
Garden lime is a simple, organic amendment that makes the soil more alkaline.
Is moss taking over your garden? This primitive plant needs excessive water, shade, and acidic soil to thrive. If you have moss growing, it means these conditions are being met. Garden lime (particularly pelletized, dolomitic lime) is a simple, organic amendment that makes the soil more alkaline.
Fall is an ideal time to add garden lime to your lawn since it’ll slowly leach into the soil throughout the winter. Then, when spring warmth arrives, the pH level of your soil will be in a better range for grasses to grow. Apply however much the package’s instructions advise, and use a hand-powered spreader or a similar tool to distribute it evenly.
Couple garden lime additions with some tree trimming and less watering. Trimming overhead canopies allows more light in, which is better for grass than moss. Cut back on watering; the moss will grow thirsty while your grass stays green.
Mow With A Mulch Plug
The clippings always go back into the soil to decompose so they can eventually feed new grasses.
Grass contains many minerals, vitamins, and nutrients that leach out after it decays. When you mow, you typically suck up the trimmings into a bag for further disposal. Some mowers have mulch plugs or a mulching feature built in. Use this to redirect the clippings back onto the soil.
I use the mulch plug on my electric mower when I mow. That way, the clippings always go back into the soil to decompose so they can eventually feed new grasses. If your lawn is full of cut grasses already, you may also use the clippings as mulch, a green material in compost, or to line walkways. Less fertilizer is needed in lawns that are regularly mulched.
If you lack a mulching mower, the simplest mower also functions as a built-in mulcher. Manual push mowers use your energy from pushing to turn their blades, and they dump fresh clippings back onto your lawn. They’re tough to use on large plots but excellent for small sites, and they don’t need electricity or gas to run!
Aerate The Soil
The spikes create deep holes in the soil where water and air can travel to grasses’ roots.
This last step is best for existing lawns that need a fall refresher. The soil below grasses condenses to form solid masses, especially if you walk on it often. These solids prevent air, water, and nutrients from reaching your grasses’ roots.
The easiest way to aerate your lawn is with a soil aerator. This tool has long spikes on its end and a handle on top for you to push on. Stab the ground repeatedly with the aerator, and water the site well. The spikes create deep holes in the soil where water and air can travel to grasses’ roots.
Although it’ll take much longer, you can use any long pole or spikey object if you or your friends don’t own an aerator. Simply bury the pole in the soil and pull it up in long rows throughout the space. The many holes will help your lawn breathe, drink, and eat vital plant nutrients.
