Fall Lawn Care Checklist - Visit the plant experts at Platt Hill Nursery
Lawns are such a common sight that information technology'south easy to forget they're fabricated of plants. Like all the other plants in your garden, grass benefits from extra care every bit it prepares to rest over the winter. Here are some ways to wind down the mowing season while setting upwardly your lawn to flourish adjacent spring.
Go Low on the Concluding Cut
Information technology's adept practice to keep your grass high during the summertime. College grass shades out weeds, retains moisture in the soil, and encourages deeper rooting. But on the last mow of the year, it'south all-time to cut low, leaving 2 inches of meridian, to prevent matting and discourage fungal growth over wintertime.
Sharpen Your Blades
Observe your grass on the last few cuts to see if your mower blades are still sharp. If your grass looks torn rather than sliced, if it's not cutting evenly, or if the tips of the grass turn brown a few days afterward mowing, then your blades may exist tiresome and ready to be resharpened. The fall and winter are great times to tackle tool maintenance.
Jump in the Leaves and Proceed Them
Let your kids play in the foliage piles, just afterward, make certain you lot keep the leaf mulch to add together to your garden. It provides habitat for overwintering insects like ladybugs, protects your soil, and is one of the all-time natural fertilizers available. Or you can mix in the leaves as precious browns for your compost pile. If y'all oasis't started one, autumn is the perfect time to do so.
Dethatch If You Need To
Thatch is the layer of dead grass that collects in your lawn merely above the soil. A salubrious amount protects the soil and adds nutrients every bit it breaks down. Too much thatch can harbor insects or disease. Almost half an inch is perfect over the winter. If you accept more than an inch, y'all can clear some of it away. Looking for an outdoor workout ? Do it manually with a thatching rake or steel rake. Renting a power rake is another option.
Permit Your Roots Breathe
Like the other plants in your garden, grass roots demand some oxygen to breathe. If the turf is compacted or has grown too dense, it tin benefit from aeration. Y'all normally don't need to aerate your lawn more than once a year. So if you've already done it in the spring, there's no need to do information technology again in the autumn. But if you missed your spring aeration, you tin can save yourself some fourth dimension next yr and accomplish the chore at present. Your options are to rent an aerating auto, a manual aerator, or aerating shoes, or rent out the chore to landscapers.
Seed Bare Patches
Overseed any bare patches with grass seed. To do the chore well, commencement loosen the soil with a rake, then broadcast the seeds, and rake them in to ensure they're touching the soil. Remember to water the patch regularly as the seedlings are taking root. A sparse layer of grass clippings or straw mulch can protect the seeds from hungry birds.
Observe and Weed, If You Need To
Observe your lawn to see what's growing in that location. A diversity of plants other than straight grass may actually amend your soil. For example, clover fixes nitrogen from the air into the soil and makes information technology available for grass. In other words, information technology's a natural fertilizer. Plus, clover displays beautiful flowers from June to September. If you're mowing regularly, you'll cut the clover before it flowers, and it will blend in with the grass around it. You may choose to remove bigger weeds like dandelion to save you try in the spring.
A Bedtime Snack
Before the grass retreats to their roots for the wintertime, information technology's good to give them a terminal snack. Compost, worm castings, and compost tea brand great organic fertilizers. The timing is important, as y'all don't want to encourage a new surge of growth in the autumn. You shouldn't leave it besides late either, or the grass won't do good. Ideally, wait until you run across the grass growth noticeably slow down. Then spray your tea, or lay a ¼ inch of compost or worm castings, preferably later on you aerate. This feeds the roots over winter and will encourage a good commencement next flavour.
Near of the year, our grass maintenance falls into a routine, merely the fall is a great time to break the routine and give your lawn some extra care. Chances are it barely needs our help, as grass is so tough and resilient. Only like all plants, it thrives with healthy soil, air to the roots, nourishment, and a overnice layer of mulch, or what in the grass world, we call thatch. If y'all need any supplies or further communication on putting your lawn to bed, feel free to stop by our garden centers in Bloomingdale and Carpentersville!
Platt Hill Plant nursery is Chicago's premier garden center and plant nursery.
Source: https://platthillnursery.com/fall-lawn-care-checklist/
0 Response to "Fall Lawn Care Checklist - Visit the plant experts at Platt Hill Nursery"
Post a Comment