All homeowners know that spring and summer lawn maintenance can be a fairly involved process. When fall settles in and Nature begins to calm herself down, it may seem easy to just lay off the lawn care and let everything relax into the cooler season.

But here is what you want to keep in mind: despite the robust growth your yard experienced in the warmer seasons, it may actually be a bit taxed from the excessive heat and sunlight. This is why autumn lawn care is important. This season is a great time to help your grass and garden rejuvenate from the blistering Texas heat, so they can bounce back vibrantly next spring.

In this article, we are going to explore the most effective ways to keep your landscape healthy as the weather cools down and winter approaches. As always, Denton Lawn Care and Landscaping is happy to assist with all your lawn care needs. For a free service estimate, contact us for pricing!

Raking Up Leaves

Whether you choose to rake them up or mow them into natural mulch, it is critcal that you don’t leave large piles of leaves accumulating on your lawn. Doing so creates a dangerous breeding ground for fungus (even algae!) A light sprinkling of leaves can look lovely in your lawn, especially as the rich colors of autumn set in, but be sure you don’t allow them to build up too much. 

Aerating Your Soil

While residential lawns do not need to be aerated regularly, fall is the best time to address this landscaping chore. Aeration is a great way to make sure your soil isn’t impacted, as this condition deprives of soaking in adequate water, oxygen, and fertilizer. Aerating your lawn every fall ensures the health of your lawn’s topsoil and root system. 

Mowing and Watering Schedules

During the final few weeks of Autumn, you want to lower your blades when mowing your grass. Doing so allows the waning sunlight to hit the crown- that is, where the grass blades and roots meet right at the surface of the topsoil. This practice allows some hearty penetration that benefits the growth process, which is critical for the coming months of dormancy.

Additionally, even though your grass and yard plants will be growing less, you still want to keep them hydrated. With cooler temperatures and more frequent precipitation in the autumn months, it may be reasonable to reduce your irrigation schedule. But stopping it altogether creates a risk of of letting the roots dry out.

Fertilizer Application

Speaking of roots and continued growth, you want to fortify your landscape with at least 2 treatments of pre-emergent fertilizer in the fall. Once again, this is in the interest of keeping your grass bed healthy so it’s strong enough to bounce back next spring. A dense lawn is also a wonderful preventive measure against intrusive weeds.

Avoiding Weeds

While your grass may be growing a bit more slowly during the autumn, that isn’t always the case for weeds. As the colder weather sets in and your lawn begins to grow dormant, this can create prime conditions for weeds to set it and proliferate. 

We mentioned that pre-emergent fertilizer is a nice preventive measure, but we also recommend using spot-treatments where necessary to address new weed growth. Just be sure you space out your fertilizer and herbicide applications, in an effort to avoid chemical burns. 

Conclusion

Just because plant growth is slowing down, that’s no good reason to lay off the lawn care altogether. Make sure you’re still taking the right steps to keep your garden and grass turf healthy throughout the cooler months, so they’re in good shape for the following spring season.