You may think of autumn as a time when you can put your feet up and relax. Lawn care was SOOO spring and summer. Now that the weather is getting cooler, you can just coast into winter.
But hold on a second.
Autumn is an important time for your lawn. It’s an opportunity to recuperate from the hot summer months.
You need to keep up your lawn care in autumn. So here are some of the top lawn care mistakes to avoid this autumn.
Not mowing your lawn.
Now that football’s back, you’ve got other things on your mind. Maybe you’re spending more time indoors and less time hanging out in your yard.
Gone are the days of backyard BBQs and afternoon siestas in your hammock.
So you might not notice that your grass is continuing to grow… and grow… and grow.
But it’s not healthy for your lawn to grow too tall. When you mow, you should only need to remove the very tip off the grass.
However, if your blades are long, you’ll need to cut it in a fashion that’s not healthy for the grass. And that will hurt it’s long-term health.
Definitely an autumn no-no.
Forgetting to aerate
Fall is one of the best times to aerate your lawn.
When you aerate your lawn, you create openings in the soil for your lawn to breathe. This is essential for growing and maintaining a healthy lawn.
Fall is such a great time to do anything that disrupts the soil.
And if you don’t do it now, you’ll have to wait until spring. And then you risk crabgrass and other lawn disturbances that come with hotter weather.
skimping on the water
You know that watering your lawn is important. And you’ve got those sprinklers running all summer. When autumn arrives, you might think that your sprinkler system should be stored away in the garage for the season.
But make sure to keep on watering. On average, you should water your lawn every four to eight days. And you do so less when it’s rainy.
Don’t get fooled into thinking that the morning dew of fall is sufficient enough to keep your lawn hydrated. You need moisture to get all the way into your grass’ roots.
So grab those sprinklers and get them back up and running. You may need a drink after a hard day. And so does your lawn.
Forgetting to fertilize
Maybe you’re the type who wants instant gratification. So it’s hard to get yourself to fertilize in autumn. Why put in the effort just in time for the snow to fall?
We know it’s hard. But if you fertilize now, you’ll get rewarded come spring.
Fertilizer helps feed your grass nitrogen. Something that is essential for its long-term health.
During summer, your lawn can be hot and dry. And this can make your grass dormant.
Fertilizing your grass is a great way to give it a boost. And this will help improve growth.
And you’ll want your grass to be healthy in the spring. But that depends on what you do right now. So make sure to fertilize now and reap the rewards later.
Leaving the leaves
The trees become so pretty in autumn. Who doesn’t love watching the green of summer turn into red, yellow, and orange?
And then those leaves hit your yard. And you plan to clean them up… later.
But later can turn into weeks. And how do all those discarded leaves affect your yard and its health?
A few leaves on the ground is fine. But if there are so many leaves, you can no longer see any green, they’re likely preventing the sun from hitting your grass.
Now is the time when sun is vital for your blade’s health. Your grass is storing nutrients up for summer. Block them from the sun now, and they’ll already be starving once the snow starts to fall.
And hey, cleaning up leaves can be a fun family activity. Or a festive fall decoration, there are plenty of decorative leaf bags out there. It can bring back all the good memories of summer days in your yard.
You’ll be indoors soon enough. Take this last opportunity to be outside in your yard, and help get a healthier start going into winter.
Lawn care mistakes of autumn
Everybody makes mistakes. To err is human.
However, when it comes to autumn lawn care, you can do better.
You’ve put up the good fight taking care of your yard all spring and summer. Now’s the time for one final push.
Avoid these autumn lawn care mistakes. And your lawn will stay healthy and strong now, and when the flowers start to bloom in the spring.