Learning About Landscaping Materials

Posted on: 28 September 2017

Now that summer is over, you're probably looking forward to a couple months where you don't have to worry about trimming and mowing your lawn. However, there are a few things you should do to help your grass stay healthy during the winter months. Pre-winter preparation and care helps your grass to bounce back after the snow melts away. Here are some simple autumn tasks every lawn owner should know.

1. Stay on top of leaf removal. 

Leaf removal helps your grass to breathe. They become like slick blankets that suffocate your grass in fall weather. Leaves are quite acidic as they decompose, which can in turn make your grass vary in coloration. Removing the leaves frequently prevents them from layering or becoming too heavy of delicate grass.

2. Rake up old moss, dead grass, and thatch.

To encourage new spring growth, you want to vigorously run a garden rake through the grass. This helps to lift the packed weeds, moss, and dead grass out from the healthy strands. You can leaves this debris on the lawn, but lifting it up from the grass helps to discourage moss growth and encourage new grass growth in the spring time. 

3. Aerate your lawn.

Fall is a great time to spike your lawn with an aeration tool. Aeration may look temporarily funny, but it actually helps to break up root growth that is too dense and encourage better soil drainage. it also exposes roots to oxygen, helping them to grow stronger when they recover. To prevent the holes from filling back in with dirt, spread fine lawn sand into the holes. The grass will eventually reabsorb the sand into the soil, but the sandy addition will provide proper drainage for the season to come. In areas with dense, clay like soil, this helps grass to root more deeply and become more drought resistant.

4. Don't forget the water.

When the summer heat goes away, many people forget about watering their lawns. But some lawns in dry areas will still water, even if the temperatures have dropped. A sudden decrease of watering can shock a moist lawn in a dry climate. Taper off watering as the days get colder until the first frost. The extra water will support your grass through dormancy until spring comes.

Caring for your lawn is not just for summer time. For more information, contact a lawn care company in your area, like ProTurf.