what is the best fall lawn treatment

• In late fall, drop the mower blade level and cut the grass 1 to 2 inches shorter until it hibernates for the winter.
• Overseed your lawn. When you add additional seed to an already established lawn, it helps lawns damaged by heavy foot traffic, heat and lack of water.
• Patch your lawn to fill in bald spots caused by standing water, foot traffic and lack of water.
• Remember to apply two applications of fertilizer for the best results in spring: once early in the season and then six to eight weeks later.
• Water your yard based on weather conditions and the instructions provided for the type of grass in your lawn.

Full Answer

How should I care for my lawn in the fall?

Mid-Fall Lawn Care

1. Weed One Last Time. If you spend most of the summer pulling up weeds, they should begin slowing down in October. ...
2. Dethatch. Particularly hot and humid summers can lead to an overgrowth of thatch—the natural barrier that forms between your soil and grass blades.
3. Aerate. ...
4. Overseed. ...
5. Fertilize Cool-Season Grasses. ...

Should I fertilize my lawn in the fall?

When Is the Best Time To Fertilize in the Fall?

• Cold vs Warm Season Grasses. Feed cold-season grasses such as bluegrass, fescue, and ryegrass in September-November. ...
• Selecting a Fertilizer for Fall – The Right Amount and Ingredients. ...
• Using a Rotary Spreader. ...
• Don’t Forget the Flower and Vegetable Gardens. ...
• Be Careful Not to Overfeed. ...

Why is fall the best time for lawn care?

Why Fall Is the Best Time of Year for Lawn Care and Maintenance

• Always Overseed in the Fall. Overseeding is the process of planting new grass seeds into the existing turf without having to remove or uproot the older grass.
• Plant Trees and Shrubs in the Fall. ...
• Fertilize Your Lawn in the Fall. ...
• Prepare Your Garden Beds for Winter. ...
• Additional Benefits of Lawn Care and Maintenance in the Fall. ...

How to fertilize your fall lawn?

• Low-quality lawn: apply the entire treatment in early fall
• Mid-quality lawn: make one application in early fall and one in early spring
• High-quality lawn: make one application in early fall, one in early spring, and one in late fall

When should I start fall lawn care?

Fall is the best time to fertilize your lawn if you live in the North. Cool-season grasses, such as bluegrass, fescue, and ryegrass, respond well to feeding in early September and again in late fall (late October or November). It helps them green up earlier and look better in spring.

Is it too late to fertilize my lawn in November?

Timing is everything when it comes to late fall fertilization. You should wait until the grass has stopped growing and rarely needs mowing. It's okay if your grass still has some active growth, but it should be slow enough that you don't need to mow it. However, you don't want to wait so long that the ground freezes.

What should I put on my lawn in November?

While this fall lawn fertilizer dose is important, an application at the end of October or early November is essential. At that time, apply a fertilizer with a formula of 13-25-12. The push of phosphorus will stimulate root growth through November and even into early December.

What is the best fertilizer for fall?

“Nitrogen applied in the fall is the most important lawn fertilization of the year,” says Robert Cox, Colorado Sate University Cooperative Extension Agent. “Use a high-nitrogen fertilizer, such as 25-5-5, or something with a similar formula.”

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What is the difference between a so-so stretch of grass and a truly beautiful lawn?

The difference between a so-so stretch of grass and a truly beautiful lawn both now and next spring is two fall feedings. Fertilizing in early fall helps your lawn begin rebuilding grassroots that were damaged during the hot, dry summer. Since fall is also a great time to kill several types of lawn weeds, including clover and dandelion, ...

Can fallen leaves smother grass?

Mulch Your Leaves. Don't let tree leaves smother your grass. Contrary to popular belief, fallen tree leaves will not insulate your lawn during winter. In fact, they can be a total buzzkill by blocking vital sunlight and thinning your grass.

1. Remove the leaves

A carpet of colorful autumn leaves may look nice and be fun to play in, but they’re no good for grass. They block the light and trap moisture, potentially fatal knockout punches for the unlucky turf underneath.

2. Keep cutting, but to the correct height

Don’t put that mower away yet. Grass continues to grown up to the first hard frost, and so will need regular cuts to keep it at an ideal 2½- to 3-inch height. If you let it get too long, it will mat and be vulnerable to fungi like snow mold.

3. Continue watering

Frith says that people tend to let up on watering in the fall as the weather gets cooler. “They figure that nature will take care of things for them,” he says. While it’s true that there’s more rain, more dew, and less evaporation at this time of year, that may not be enough to keep the grass roots well hydrated and healthy going into the winter.

4. Loosen the soil

Regular aeration—once every couple of years, according to Frith—prevents soil from becoming compacted and covered with thatch, a thick layer of roots, stems, and debris that blocks water, oxygen, and nutrients from reaching the soil.

5. Add fertilizer

Just as grass roots need water to last the winter, they also benefit from a shot of the plant sugars that protect roots from freezing and give the entire plant the energy to bounce back in the spring. Those sugars are produced by chlorophyll, which grass produces in abundance when there’s enough nitrogen.

7. Stay on schedule

Each of the steps above has to be done at the right time for the best results. Otherwise, it’s wasted effort. For instance, overseed too late and the seedlings will be too tender to survive. Fertilize too early and the grass will send up tender blades that will get hammered by the cold.