Although spring lawn care gets all the attention, fall lawn care is the make-it or break-it season for grass. Your fall lawn care routine affects how your grass looks the following year, according to Lawn Doctor. Having a fall lawn care plan prepares your yard for winter and helps it thrive in the next growing season.
Your lawn care plan can start with these four basic steps:
#1 Aerate
Aeration gives your lawn a breather in autumn and provides room for new grass to spread without competition from spring weeds. Aeration tools pull up plugs of grass and soil, breaking up compacted turf. That allows water, oxygen, and nutrients to reach roots and gives seeds room to sprout.
If kids frequently play on your lawn, plan to aerate twice a year — fall and spring. If your lawn is just for show, aerate once a year — and maybe even once every other year.
A hand-aerating tool (about $40), which looks like a pitchfork with hollow tines, is labor-intensive and meant for unplugging small sections of grass. Gas-powered aerating machines, which can be rented for $15 to $25 per hour, are about the size of a big lawn mower, and suited to working entire lawns. Bring some muscle when you pick up your rental: Aerating machines are heavy and can be hard to lift into your truck or SUV.
Professional aeration costs about $174 to $570 for 5,000 square feet.
Related: Lawn Aeration: Give Your Grass a Breath of Fresh Air
#2 Seed
Fall, when the soil temperature is about 55 degrees, is the best time to seed your lawn, because turf roots grow vigorously in fall and winter. If you want a lush lawn, don’t cheap out on the seed.
Bags of inexpensive seed ($12 for three pounds) often contain hollow husks, weed seed, and annual rye grass seed, which grows until the first frost, then drops dead. Splurge on the good stuff ($50 for seven pounds of Kentucky Bluegrass seed), which resists drought, disease, and insects.
Water your new seed every day for 10 to 20 days until it germinates.
#3 Fertilize
A late fall fertilization — before the first frost — helps your grass survive a harsh winter and encourages it to grow green and lush in spring. Make your last fertilization of the year count by choosing a product high (10% to 15%) in phosphorous, which is critical for root growth.
Note: Some states have banned phosphorous-rich fertilizers, which are harmful to the watershed. In those places, look for nitrogen-rich fertilizers, because they promote shoot and root growth. Check with your local extension service to see which regulations apply in your area.
Professional fertilization costs $65 to $100 per application for an average-sized lawn.
#4 Mulch
Instead of raking leaves, run over them a couple of times with your mower to grind them into mulch. The shredded leaves protect grass from winter wind and desiccation. A bonus — shredded leaves decompose into yummy organic matter to feed grass roots.
A mulching blade ($16) that attaches to your mower will grind the leaves even finer.
Related: How to Mulch