Your lawn's needs change throughout the year, and one of the most critical times for your lawn is the Autumn, as it gathers nutrients for dormancy in the winter. So the way you take care of your lawn in the Autumn should be a little different from Spring and Summer. Grass grows the most in Spring and Autumn, but the real action in the Autumn is beneath the surface. Root growth is greatest in the fall as your lawn gathers and stores nutrients to last through the Winter. Here are a few things to keep in mind when caring for your lawn in the fall.
To Mow Or Not To Mow
Your grass continues to grow until the temperatures throughout the day average fifty-five degrees Fahrenheit. That's when it begins to go dormant. So it is a good idea to continue mowing until that happens. A good height for your grass is between two and three inches, which is a little shorter than the rest of the year. Keeping the grass shorter in the fall will reduce the chances of mold and fungus causing problems as the temperature drops and moisture increases.
Should You Dethatch In the Fall?
Thatch is a layer of dead organic material between the soil and the green part of the blade. A thin layer of thatch is a healthy part of your lawn. It protects the soil from erosion, and retains moisture. But if it is too thick it will block nutrients from getting to the roots and can choke out new growth. If you are not sure, cut a divot of sod and check the thatch layer. If it is a half inch thick or more, then it is a good idea to dethatch, but only if you still have time to build up a new layer before the grass goes dormant. You don't want to go into winter with no thatch. That can cause serious damage to your lawn. It is safest to dethatch in the Spring. But if you have a thick layer of thatch, you still have time in early Fall to dethatch, and build up a new layer before Winter.
How Much Raking Should You Do?
Fallen leaves begin to decompose, sending nutrients into the soil, which is good. But if they lay there too long, they rob your lawn of sunlight, which it needs to get energy to grow its root system and prepare for winter. Also, wet leaves are a breading ground for mold, mildew, and fungus, which can eat away at your lawn. It's best to clean up the fallen leaves every week to two weeks. That gives time for the nutrients to leach into the soil, but keeps the wet leaves from becoming a problem. Another option is mulching the leaves into your lawn. As long as the leaf cover is fairly light, you can run the mower over them, chopping them into small fragments which fall down between the blades of grass. This retains the nutrients without robbing the grass of sunlight. If you choose this option, be sure to check your thatch in the Spring.
Fertilizing
Fertilizing your lawn every six to eight weeks is a good idea, and the fall is no exception to this rule. However, once the ground freezes, any fertilizer that hasn't been watered in will be wasted. The way the weather has been, it's impossible to tell when that will be, but keep in mind that the freeze has come later and later each year. So you have time to get that fifth or sixth course of fertilizer down. Early in the Autumn, use a fertilizer heavy on nitrogen and potassium, for general growth and greening. Late in the Autumn, look for a fertilizer heavy in phosphorus, to grow the root system.
Watering
During the Autumn in the lower Adirondacks and foothills the average rainfall is between 0.75 and 1 inch per week, which is plenty to keep your lawn healthy. Of course, you never know when we might have a dry spell. But the real danger is over-watering, which can stunt root growth and encourage diseases like root-rot, molds, and fungi.
Aerating
With heavy clay soil, or heavy foot traffic on your lawn, you many want to aerate in the Spring and early Autumn, when the grass is growing the most. Sandy or loam soil may not need it at all. If your grass is growing thinly, try pushing a pencil into the soil. If it is hard, or the pencil breaks, you need to aerate. There are two ways of Aerating your lawn; plug aerating, and puncture aerating. Plug Aerating removes a small plug of soil from the lawn, leaving a two to three inch deep hole. Puncture aerating simply pierces the soil leaving a smaller hole. Plug aerating is more effective in lawns that have serious compaction problems or very heavy clay.
Storing Equipment For The Winter
When the ground starts to freeze, it's time to let nature take it's course and pack up the lawn equipment for the season. If you are still working with gasoline-powered equipment, it is a good idea to change oil and stabilize your gasoline. Clean and oil clippers, trimmers, shovels, hoes, rakes and trowels. Drain irrigation systems and hoses. Soon it will be time to break out the snow-blower, snow shovels, roof-rakes, and ice-melt.
Fall lawn care
Your lawn's needs change throughout the year, and one of the most critical times for your lawn is the Autumn, as it gathers nutrients for dormancy in the winter. So the way you take care of your lawn in the Autumn should be a little different from Spring and Summer. Grass grows the most in Spring and Autumn, but the real action in the Autumn is beneath the surface. Root growth is greatest in the fall as your lawn gathers and stores nutrients to last through the Winter. Here are a few things to keep in mind when caring for your lawn in the fall.
To Mow Or Not To Mow
Your grass continues to grow until the temperatures throughout the day average fifty-five degrees Fahrenheit. That's when it begins to go dormant. So it is a good idea to continue mowing until that happens. A good height for your grass is between two and three inches, which is a little shorter than the rest of the year. Keeping the grass shorter in the fall will reduce the chances of mold and fungus causing problems as the temperature drops and moisture increases.
Should You Dethatch In the Fall?
Thatch is a layer of dead organic material between the soil and the green part of the blade. A thin layer of thatch is a healthy part of your lawn. It protects the soil from erosion, and retains moisture. But if it is too thick it will block nutrients from getting to the roots and can choke out new growth. If you are not sure, cut a divot of sod and check the thatch layer. If it is a half inch thick or more, then it is a good idea to dethatch, but only if you still have time to build up a new layer before the grass goes dormant. You don't want to go into winter with no thatch. That can cause serious damage to your lawn. It is safest to dethatch in the Spring. But if you have a thick layer of thatch, you still have time in early Fall to dethatch, and build up a new layer before Winter.
How Much Raking Should You Do?
Fallen leaves begin to decompose, sending nutrients into the soil, which is good. But if they lay there too long, they rob your lawn of sunlight, which it needs to get energy to grow its root system and prepare for winter. Also, wet leaves are a breading ground for mold, mildew, and fungus, which can eat away at your lawn. It's best to clean up the fallen leaves every week to two weeks. That gives time for the nutrients to leach into the soil, but keeps the wet leaves from becoming a problem. Another option is mulching the leaves into your lawn. As long as the leaf cover is fairly light, you can run the mower over them, chopping them into small fragments which fall down between the blades of grass. This retains the nutrients without robbing the grass of sunlight. If you choose this option, be sure to check your thatch in the Spring.
Fertilizing
Fertilizing your lawn every six to eight weeks is a good idea, and the fall is no exception to this rule. However, once the ground freezes, any fertilizer that hasn't been watered in will be wasted. The way the weather has been, it's impossible to tell when that will be, but keep in mind that the freeze has come later and later each year. So you have time to get that fifth or sixth course of fertilizer down. Early in the Autumn, use a fertilizer heavy on nitrogen and potassium, for general growth and greening. Late in the Autumn, look for a fertilizer heavy in phosphorus, to grow the root system.
Watering
During the Autumn in the lower Adirondacks and foothills the average rainfall is between 0.75 and 1 inch per week, which is plenty to keep your lawn healthy. Of course, you never know when we might have a dry spell. But the real danger is over-watering, which can stunt root growth and encourage diseases like root-rot, molds, and fungi.
Aerating
With heavy clay soil, or heavy foot traffic on your lawn, you many want to aerate in the Spring and early Autumn, when the grass is growing the most. Sandy or loam soil may not need it at all. If your grass is growing thinly, try pushing a pencil into the soil. If it is hard, or the pencil breaks, you need to aerate. There are two ways of Aerating your lawn; plug aerating, and puncture aerating. Plug Aerating removes a small plug of soil from the lawn, leaving a two to three inch deep hole. Puncture aerating simply pierces the soil leaving a smaller hole. Plug aerating is more effective in lawns that have serious compaction problems or very heavy clay.
Storing Equipment For The Winter
When the ground starts to freeze, it's time to let nature take it's course and pack up the lawn equipment for the season. If you are still working with gasoline-powered equipment, it is a good idea to change oil and stabilize your gasoline. Clean and oil clippers, trimmers, shovels, hoes, rakes and trowels. Drain irrigation systems and hoses. Soon it will be time to break out the snow-blower, snow shovels, roof-rakes, and ice-melt.