Atwood LawnCare

Q: HOW DO I care for my landscape in the fall?

Fall is perhaps the most important time of the year for maintaining the lawn and landscape. For the lawn, anything that is done will have a direct bearing on the appearance and health of the turf in the spring. For the trees and shrubs it can be a critical time for proper care to protect the health of the plants. Anything left undone will still be there in the spring to be taken care of. Fall is not the end of the growing season; in many ways it truly is the beginning of the growing season.

Importance of Fall Fertilization
LAWN: The fall applications of fertilizer are critical to the overall health of the plant. If there is to be only one application of fertilizer each year, it should be done on the fall. (Not the spring!) The turf plant recovers from summer stresses and starts to build reserves to survive the winter. The Early Fall Application helps the plant to repair any damage incurred during the heat and dryness of the summer. Typically, we get better rainfall in the fall, and so when combined with a good fertilizer application, the lawn will thicken and begin to look better. The Late Fall Application is not meant to make the lawn turn greener or grow. It is meant to give the turfgrass plant nutrients that can be stored in the root system over the winter so that it has proper nutrient levels in the spring. Lawns that receive the Late Fall application will green up earlier and be in better condition in the early part of the spring, than those that do not receive this important application.

TREES: Trees and shrubs benefit from a fall application of fertilizer as well. The purpose for this application is to strengthen the root system of the plants by giving the trees and shrubs access to high levels of nutrients that can be absorbed into the roots. The trees and shrubs will hold these nutrients in their root system to be used next spring to start leaf and bud development.

Watering in the Fall
When the temperatures cool off in the fall (as they always do), many people are tempted to stop watering their lawns. This is a critical mistake. Because of the continued and active root activity that occurs in the fall, turfgrass plants need regular water right through the fall. Typically, but not always, rainfall will increase in the fall. Relying solely on rainfall may not give lawns the water needed to recover from summer stresses. Keep watering the lawn right through the end of October.

Mowing in the Fall
While everyone gets tired of mowing the lawn by the time fall rolls around, proper mowing in the fall will help the lawn look even better next spring. DO NOT lower the height of cut at any time in the fall. The turfgrass plant needs the full length of leaf tissue to conduct photosynthesis and maximize energy storage to survive the winter and prepare for next spring. If the grass is cut too short in the fall, the plant will take reserves out of the root system to re-grow this fall, thereby depleting critical reserves it will need this winter and next spring.