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Fall lawn care and seeding may be one of the most important gardening tasks you can tackle this autumn. Lawns need more than raking when the first nip of frost is in the forecast. Be sure to prepare your lawn adequately for the winter, and you’ll be rewarded with a lush, healthy carpet of green next spring.
Fall Lawn Care and Seeding Advice
Most people imagine fall lawn care tasks as simply mowing the grass one last time, draining the underground sprinkler system, and raking leaves. There’s more to fall lawn care than maintenance.
If you haven’t had the soil tested in a while, you should get the soil in your lawn area tested before tackling the rest of the fall lawn care and seeding chores. Soil tests determine the pH of the tested soil and may provide information on micronutrients and soil health too. Many local nursery and garden centers offer soil testing free or for a small fee. Your local County Cooperative Extension Office may also offer soil testing, but you’ll need to call and ask them; some do and some don’t. Most will, however, help you interpret and use the test results effectively no matter where the soil was tested.
To take samples for a soil test, dig up about half a cup of soil from various areas of the lawn. Store the samples in glass or plastic containers. Metal containers may affect the test results. Label each sample with the day, time and place collected and be sure to tell the place conducting the test what you plan to plant in the area. They’ll need to know that information to make their recommendations.
The typical suburban lawn is planted with their cool-season grasses or warm-weather grasses. Cool season grasses turn green in the spring and fall but may turn brown in the summer; they can’t take the heat. Warm weather grasses, on the other hand, love the heat but turn brown in the cool weather. Kentucky bluegrass and fescue grass are examples of cool weather grasses, while zoysia grass is an example of warm weather grass.
It’s important to know what kind of grass you have growing in your lawn now when you choose the seed to plant. If you plant the wrong kind of seed, you could end up with patchwork lawn as some parts green up while others turn brown. Many homeowners prefer seed blends; these blend various types of cool or warm season grasses suitable for your gardening zone into one convenient mix. Blends may also contain weed and feed type additives, or materials that suppress weeds and provide a fertilizer boost.
Before seeding the lawn, apply any recommended soil amendments or lime to the entire lawn. Follow the package directions. Some may recommend you wait a few days before seeding to allow the fertilizer to work its way into the soil.
To seed your lawn in the fall, identify the dead or sparse patches. Rake the dirt or bare areas and sprinkle the seeds according to the package directions. You can use your hands or dip a trowel into the bag of seed to spread it easily. Spread the seed evenly and as thickly as you need to, making sure to cover most of the bare spot with seed. A broadcast seeder, either the kind you hand-crank or a larger one you walk behind and push like a lawn mower, also works well to seed large areas.
Do not cover the seeds with soil; grass needs light to germinate. Some homeowners use weed-free straw strewn over newly planted grass seed or burlap to prevent birds and other animals from eating the seeds and retain moisture. Water the area well, and continue watering daily until the grass seed germinates and grows to be at least one inch tall.
Seeding should be part of every fall lawn care regimen. It sets the stage as the lawn goes into its dormancy period for healthy growth in the spring. Cooler temperatures also place less stress upon tender new grass seeds, allowing them to sink their roots deeply into the soil. Make fall lawn care and seeding part of your fall chore list and enjoy the benefits next spring.