Fall Lawn Care Tips
Get an expert consultation: Each landscape and lawn is distinct in it's soil profile, conditions and needs. It's best to have an expert evaluate your lawn and landscape to recommend proper care and maintenance.
Don’t Bag the Leaves. Too many fallen leaves on top of a lawn can cause problems if left too long. But you shouldn’t be bagging them up for the landfill either. Use a mulching mower to shred leaves then leave on the lawn, or put excess into compost. Shredded leaves become valuable organic matter that can help the health of your lawn.
Prevent Thatch: With our heavy clay and compacted soils here in the DFW area, plus over-feeding with synthetic fertilizers, thatch can be a continual problem in our lawns, especially with St Augustine. Thatch is an accumulation of fresh and decaying plant matter (grass clippings) at the soil surface that block the grass from getting air water and nutrients they need. By adding organic matter and stimulating microbial activity, you can speed up the decomposition of the thatch and restore the health of your lawn. Sometimes, the thatch is so thick, it must be manually removed. Occasional core-aerating of the lawn can also help prevent and treat thatch.
Proper Mowing: You’ll want to continue to mow your warm-season grass until it stops growing and begins to go dormant. During spring and summer, Bermuda should be mowed to 1 ½” to 1 ¾” , St. Augustine can be mowed to 3” tall and Tiff mowed to 1” tall. For your last fall mowing, as grass is going dormant, you’ll want to cut it a bit shorter than normal – 1” for Bermuda, 2” for St. Augustine and 1” or slightly below for Tiff. You’ll also want to make sure that you’re mowing or cutting down cool-season weeds that have germinated so that they don’t spread over the cool season.
Feed right: You need to feed your lawn and landscape in the fall, but not with high-Nitrogen fast action fertilizers. You’ll end up encouraging lots of tender new growth that is more susceptible to cold damage. What you do want to focus on is healthy soil and root strength. Our dry and liquid compost extract fertilizers are just what your lawn and landscape needs.
lawns, lawn care, organic, thatch, fertilizer, mowing, height, Soils Alive, Dallas, Texas
