With a spring and summer filled with lawn care, it may seem like fall is the time to begin cutting back. The reality is quite the contrary! With its beautiful cooler weather, fall is the perfect time to give your lawn some extra TLC.
Although plants tend to grow slower in the fall, don’t let that fool you. There’s a lot more going on underneath the surface as plants go into energy absorbing mode for the winter. At One Stop Rental, we have the tools you need to prepare your lawn for the beautiful Ohio fall. Follow these five lawn care tips and you’re sure to have a lush and healthy lawn come spring.
Keep Up the Mowing
Even with slowed growth, it’s important to keep mowing your lawn during the fall. Make sure that the mower blade is dropped to about two inches for optimal growth. Keeping the grass shorter will help deter matting from happening as leaves begin to fall. As you near the last few mowing sessions, you can lower the blade again to ensure optimal sunlight is being absorbed by the grass before winter hits.
Aerate and Overseed
Lawn looking lackluster after a long hot summer? It may benefit you to aerate and overseed. Fall is the best time of year to aerate cool season grass, which includes bluegrass, fescue and rye. Test your lawn by digging a square-foot hole about six inches deep. If the roots of the grass are less than two inches, it’s time to aerate. The best way to do this is by renting an aerator, which will help you dig up small plugs of earth quickly and easily. This makes the soil less densely packed so that water, air and fertilizer can get to the grass’s roots easier. Next, use a seeder to disperse new grass seeds throughout your freshly aerated lawn. Why overseed your lawn? As we mow our lawn, we limit grass’s ability to spread naturally. This combined with other lawn stressors makes it difficult for grass to maintain a steady growth. Overseeding is a simple fix for the problem.
Remember to Fertilize
It’s always a good idea to fertilize after aerating and overseeding your soil. For cool-season grasses in Ohio, fertilize two separate times, once in early September and once in late October. Fertilizing in the fall helps grass grow deep roots, giving it a greater chance of surviving the winter. The fertilizer also provides the grass with extra nutrients that it can reserve for the spring. Your lawn will be the first to come back to life in the neighborhood!
Rake Leaves Regularly
A big mistake people often make is letting leaves sit on their lawn for too long. When the layer of leaves becomes too thick, they cause the grass beneath to mat down and prevent proper sunlight from getting through. Raking up the leaves regularly will help keep your grass in tip top shape. Can’t stand raking? You can also try mulching the leaves. A mulcher will shred the fallen leaves into fine pieces, which can then be returned to the soil as organic matter. Be careful with mulching though. If the layer of leaves is already too thick, mulching will not solve the problem.
Whack the Weeds
While the dandelions and other weeds may not look too bad, don’t be fooled! Just like your grass, these weeds are in energy absorption mode, just waiting to explode come spring. Fight back by whacking them down and spraying the area with a weed killer to ensure they’re gone for good.
At One Stop Rental we have all the tools you’ll need for your fall lawn care in and around Cincinnati, Ohio. Unsure of how to use some of our lawn equipment? Our YouTube channel has helpful videos that will make you a pro in no time! Give us a call or stop by our West Chester/Mason or Liberty/Fairfield Township locations.