How to Care For Your Lawn in Autumn
With autumn now officially underway (having started on 1st September) it’s time to start thinking about autumnal lawn maintenance.
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Over the summer, your lawn has most likely been at the centre of some great fun and family action. However, children riding bikes, BBQs and family get-togethers can all be quite wearing for lawns. Your lawn could now be in dire need of some care and kindness. With time moving on, there is now only a small window of time to give your lawn what it needs before the winter is upon us.
Less Mowing Required
As the days draw in, you will need to reduce the amount of cutting that your grass has as it will naturally slow down its growth. You should also set your cutting height to be slightly higher so that the grass can grow a little longer than you might normally have it. This will provide some protection against pests such as moss during wintertime.
Compacted Soil
If the lawn has been used as a thoroughfare for heavy foot traffic, it’s possible that the soil has been pressed down tight. This can make it difficult for water to enter and oxygen to circulate. It may even be possible that the grass has worn away from over use, and the soil is now bare. However, before you can address that, you will first need to work on the soil compaction issue.
Compacted soil is in need of aeration and once you have made some small holes in it, you can then rest assured that both water and oxygen can reach the roots of your grass. Both of these are vital to the survival of your grass. You can add these holes with a garden fork or by using a lawn aerator which will pierce holes into the soil. Another method is to add worms to your garden. They will naturally burrow into the soil and produce the same results you could expect from the other two methods.
Once the compaction is solved, then it’s time to consider adding grass seed to fill in the gaps. The best time to lay grass seed is during the early days of autumn. Sunlight, water and a temperature of at least six degrees Celsius is required for grass to grow. You don’t want the winter to come up so fast that you run out of time getting the coverage that your lawn needs for the winter months.
Thatch and moss removal
Dead organic matter can build up on your grass and cause a type of thatch to develop over the roots. This can stop the grass from thriving and should be removed along with moss. The best time to do this work is early September or even during August. If you don’t remove it, it will be difficult for water and sunlight to reach the new grass. You can use either a scarifier or a rake to assist you with this task.
One of the ways to avoid moss from developing on your lawn is to ‘over-seed’. This is done by adding extra seeds to your lawn to close the gap between grass plants, therefore removing any extra space between them and stopping moss from growing.
Before winter comes on, also be sure to feed your lawn. A slow releasing lawn feeder will take your grass through the winter time. One final task that you’ll need to address before winter really is upon us is to remove the fallen leaves as they will also block out the light for your grass.