The fall is upon us, which means lawn maintenance is likely to become a little more challenging, and it is helpful to know useful techniques to keep your lawn looking great as cooler weather approaches. The fact is lawn care looks different in each season, and there are certain care techniques that work better in the fall than in the summer or spring.
Tips to Prepare Your Lawn for Fall
The fall offers unique obstacles and your lard is likely to react differently to the weather than it did in the summer. The following are four useful tips to prepare your lawn for falling leaves, slower-growing grass and an increased risk of bare spots, along with other notable lawn changes to keep in mind.
Cut the grass shorter
Grass often grows best when the sunlight can reach the crown of the grass. In the summer, grass is more prone to getting the sunlight and heat it needs to grow properly, but it might be more challenging to provide this need for your lawn in the fall. Subsequently, consider cutting your lawn a little shorter than normal - preferably an inch shorter than usual - to promote proper growth in the fall.
Fertilize the lawn
It is helpful and encouraged to fertilize twice per year, and the early fall is an excellent time to do so. By fertilizing your lawn in the early fall, you can promote healthy growing grass, especially in the areas where the grass may have become damaged by the summer heat. Be certain to also water your yard frequently and provide the additional maintenance that might also be required with fertilizer.
Repair bare spots
While it is often easier to keep an aesthetically pleasing yard in the summer, the heat can cause damage at times and lead to bare spots in certain highly exposed areas. If these bare spots are not addressed, the issue can grow increasingly worse in the late fall and winter. Consider fixing these bare spots by using a bare spot repair seeding kit.
Prepare your tools
Leaves are one of the biggest issues in the fall for many homeowners. Contrary to the belief of many, it is best to keep the leaves away so that grass can continue to receive water and sunlight. To do so, keep your tools on hand and try and remove the leaves once every week or every other week. While raking or blowing the leaves away works well, you may also be able to cut the leaves down, which is often beneficial to the underlying soil.
The Bottom Line
Home lawn preparation looks different for each person, and it is important to consider your own needs and come up with a plan to keep your lawn looking great at all fall. If you have a garden, be certain to make the necessary arrangements to keep the plants and flowers healthy. While it may take some work, a beautiful lawn, especially in the fall and winter months, can make your home stand out and add aesthetic value to your property.
Annette Masterson is a licensed broker with EXIT Realty Bob Lamb & Associates in Murfreesboro, TN. She has developed one of the most successful real estate teams in Rutherford County, known as Masterson Network, that specializes in new home construction and residential listings and sales throughout Middle Tennessee. You can email Annette at mastersonnetwork@gmail.com or call her at 615-896-5656 (Office) or 615-533-1660 (Cell) for more information.