Many parts of the country reached record heat levels this summer. Whether this year’s summer weather left you with brown patches of grass or dried-out flower beds, now is the time to begin repairing and replenishing. Waiting until next spring to start over can leave you with a huge project. Instead, you might consider completing a few of the following projects to get a start on a beautiful, thriving lawn for next year.
Do a Final Weed Pull
Fall is the perfect time to go through your yard and pull any remaining weeds. While you shouldn’t have as many weeds as you did during spring or summer, some weeds will continue growing into the fall months. Waiting to pull these weeds until spring gives them time to germinate, which means they could come back stronger than ever. In fact, fall may be the best time of the year to deal with difficult weeds, like Creeping Charlie or Dandelion.
Complete a Thorough Yard Cleanup
Lawn furniture and decor can block sunlight and rain from reaching parts of your lawn. Putting your outdoor furniture away a little early gives you time to repair these damaged parts of your lawn through other techniques, like core aeration and lawn seeding. Go through your yard and remove all furniture, decorations, branches, and garbage.
Make sure you also clean up any garden beds to prevent weeds from spreading to other parts of your lawn. This is also a good time to go through your yard, trim back any hanging branches, and clean out the gutters. Otherwise, the broken branches or extra leaves will eventually make it to your lawn, adding even more damage. A well-maintained lawn now means you’ll be ready to enjoy the outdoors as soon as better weather returns.
Schedule Your Core Aeration Appointment
A core aeration appointment is one of the best ways to repair your lawn after a long, dry, hot summer. Lawn aeration services involve loosening compacted soil, which allows more nutrients, water, and oxygen to reach the grass’s roots, helping them to thrive. Schedule your core aeration appointment as soon as possible to ensure you get it done before winter comes.
Overseeding is also a good idea, especially in excessively damaged parts of your lawn or areas with thin grass. Lawn aeration pulls plugs from your grass, which makes room for essential nutrients to reach the roots. Adding seeds during this time also ensures they’re able to reach deep into the roots, which encourages better growth.
Water Your Lawn and Then Water More
It’s also a good idea to continue watering your lawn, especially after aeration and seeding services. If you live in an area with high fall rainfall, you might not have to water as frequently. However, it’s important to ensure that your newly planted seeds have ample water to grow into a thriving lawn.
Plan Next Year’s Landscaping Schedule
Fall is also a good time to evaluate your lawn goals and to put a landscaping plan in place for next spring. Spring will come fast, and before you know it, it’ll be time to begin working toward your landscaping goals. Whereas fall is the best time for lawn aeration and seeding services, spring is when you’ll want to complete a thorough yard cleanup and remove debris. Spring is also an excellent time for fertilizing your lawn.
Keep Mowing Your Lawn
Avoid putting your lawn mower away too early. Keep your lawn mower handy until your area gets its first frost. As a general rule, your last lawn mowing should be somewhere between October and November, but this may vary depending on the current weather and your location. Ideally, you want your lawn to be between two and two and a half inches after your last cutting. Continue cutting to this length until winter arrives. This grass length is perfect for surviving winter. Anything shorter and your lawn roots can be exposed to freezing temperatures. Anything longer, and your lawn is at risk of yard diseases.
Give It Time
Repairing damaged lawns takes time. The cooler weather that comes with fall should help repair some damage. However, lawns with more excessive damage may require services like professional lawn aeration or seeding.
Excessive heat, increased foot traffic, and summer pests can wreak havoc on your lawn during the summer months. The good news is that fall is the best time to begin repairing some of that damage. Taking steps to repair dried, damaged grass now can minimize your spring cleanup needs while ensuring you can begin enjoying your yard as soon as the warmer weather returns.