Just because the summer fun ends, and you might think your grass is starting to grow slowly, your lawn care maintenance shouldn’t skip a beat! Fall brings about cooler temperatures and the occasional bout of rain, so it’s the perfect time to prepare for your lawn for next spring. A lot of times homeowners think that because their grass isn’t growing as fast, their lawn needs less care. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. In the fall, grass is absorbing energy, moisture, and nutrients in preparation for a long winter. If you give your lawn some love now, you’ll have a healthy, beautiful yard for the spring. Follow these 4 tips for lawn care in the fall from your Denver landscaping service!

Keep On Mowing

Grass continues to grow all the way up until you get your first true frost of the year, so you won’t be able to put away the lawn mower just yet. Cut your grass to the ideal 2-½” to 3” height. If you leave it too long, your lawn will be vulnerable to fungi and mold. If you cut it too short, the root system won’t be able to withstand winter cold and dryness. If you continue mowing at your regular routine pace, you’ll also be able to chop up your leaves and let them become a soil-enhancing mulch. Be sure to follow these mowing tips.

Aerate The Soil

Fall is the BEST time to aerate your lawn in order to ensure that oxygen, water, and fertilizer can easily reach the grass’s roots. Aeration is where a machine will quickly punch holes into your soil and remove some plugs of dirt. This allows for your lawn to soak up nutrients and prepare for the winter, preventing soil from becoming compacted and covered in a thick layer of roots. Aeration is ideal before fertilizing as the holes that are created will let fertilizer reach right to the roots and get to work for a lush, healthy lawn. Denver lawn aeration helps improve your landscape, especially in the fall!

Add Fertilizer

We recommend fertilizing your lawn after aeration in preparing for the winter, as those grass roots need to last throughout the cold, dormant months. When you add fertilizer, the roots will get a shot of plant sugars that protect the roots from freezing, and additionally gives the plant energy to bounce back in the spring. Choose a lawn fertilizer that contains potassium as it aids in root growth, disease protection, drought tolerance, and cold resistance.

Spread Some Seed

Overseed your lawn in the fall so your thin spots or bare patches will be filled in, and will also promote the growth of drought-tolerant grasses. Fall is the best time to overseed because the ground is warm, the sun isn’t as hot during the day, moisture levels are at a premium, and the nights are cool.

Lawn care in the fall is essential for a beautiful, lush yard in the spring. Water Solutions Company offers expert landscaping service for the Denver area, and would love to help you out with your fall lawn care needs! Contact us today to see how we can help prepare your lawn for the harsh winter so it’s thriving all year round!