A Healthy Spring Yard Starts With the Right Autumn Lawn Treatment
Growth slows down in fall, but this season is also one of the most important for getting your lawn ready to flourish in spring. It’s the perfect opportunity for a fall lawn treatment to encourage stronger roots, better nutrient storage, and improved weed control. The timing is key! Because it all needs to happen prior to the first frost.
Your precise location determines quite a bit. In general, fall weather changes begin to affect warm-season Southern lawns between August and October. However, Alabam’s unique weather, elevation, average rainfall, and grass type all contribute to the exact needs of your fall lawn care.
Continue reading for fall lawn maintenance tricks to enjoy a healthy Alabama yard through spring! Want the experts to pitch in? Contact the professionals at TDI Services!
What Should You Do About the Leaves?
Have trees in your yard? You may have to deal with the beauty (and annoyance) of fallen leaves. They actually pose a real threat to your lawn. After all, a layer of leaves keeps sunshine and water from getting to your grass. Instead, it suffocates the lawn, making an inviting place for fungal diseases as well.
Your best options for dealing with leaves? Raking with a good old-fashioned rake and then removing them, or using the more efficient method of mulch mowing.
When mulching leaves, be sure to do it the right way. First, wait until the leaves are dry to mow cleanly. Next, mow often enough so you aren’t tackling huge leaf piles every time.
Attempt to shred them into dime-sized pieces. These smaller fragments will reach the soil surface, decompose, and improve the soil. It’s like a free source of nutrient-rich material similar to a fall lawn treatment!
The Scoop on Fall Weed Control
Autumn is a great opportunity to eliminate broadleaf weeds like dandelions, crabgrass, clover, and more. At this point, those weeds store nutrients in their roots before winter. So spraying them with herbicides means they’ll absorb the weed killer, too.
Post-emergent herbicides work on weeds that you can already see. They’re scattered directly onto the leaves of weeds that are growing. This kind of weed control may use spot spraying to treat individual weeds. On the flip side, broadcast spraying attacks a whole area where weeds may or may not be present.
Pre-emergent herbicides work by creating a barrier in the soil that stops weed seeds from sprouting. The timing of this strategy is pivotal, as the pesticide must be applied before the temperature rises and weeds start to grow again.
So pre-emergent herbicides are excellent for a fall lawn treatment. Many warm-season turfs go dormant when winter comes (and temperatures drop). These herbicides will keep grasses safer from weeds that may pop up in the months ahead.
Best Practices for Fall Mowing in Alabama
Will your grass grow all winter long? No, warm-season grasses go dormant (and stop growing) once temperatures drop below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. So it’s important to pay attention to the weather for the perfect timing of your final mow before winter.
When you do mow in September and October, aim for a height of approximately 2″. However, for the final cut before winter, leave your grass slightly taller, maybe even 3″. This better protects your grass from frost and cold damage as well as disease.
How to Water Your Lawn in Autumn
In general, for the best fall watering, you should either water your lawn in the evening or the early morning. This helps reduce the effects of evaporation and discourages funal diseases.
Remember to also water deeply and infrequently. This promotes deeper roots because it soaks the soil multiple inches down. Lighter daily sprinkles won’t have the same positive impact.
As grass decreases its growth rate in autumn, simply update your watering schedule. At the same time, a consistent schedule helps fortify new plants and prep existing ones for colder weather.
When winter arrives, be sure to adjust your watering based on Alabama’s weather. Until the first freeze, you can actually continue watering. This helps avoid dry soil and protects the roots from damage.
When should you expect the first freeze in your area? Enter your zipcode into this frost calculator to get an idea of the dates it typically happens near you.
What Does Dethatching Do?
The perfect amount of thatch? About 1/2 inch. Any more than that can end up hurting rather than helping your grass.
Thatch regulates the soil’s temperature and helps with moisture retention, kind of like mulch. Soil microbes break down the organic material, returning nutrients to the soil. In short, thatch can decrease water loss through evaporation, improve soil tolerance to temperature swings, and lessen compaction.
So what does lawn dethatching do? It improves water infiltration and nutrient absorption. Plus, it gets your grass ready for new growth!
However, don’t forget that dethatching can stress your grass. That means it should only be done when your lawn is healthy and prepped for a fast recovery. Therefore, the best time to dethatch warm-season lawns is in the late spring. In addition, a light fall dethatching is helpful as well.
When to Aerate Your Yard
For warm-season grasses or lawns with compaction problems, liquid aeration is typically suggested. This applies to Bermuda, Zoysia, and St. Augustine lawns.
What’s the best time to aerate in Alabama? When these grasses are waking up in late spring or early summer (April to June). Another good time? When the soil is cooler and grass is strengthening its root system in early fall (September to October).
How do you know if your grass needs to be aerated? Look for the following signs.
- Water doesn’t easily soak into the grass
- It feels spongy, possibly indicating excess thatch
- Fertilizer doesn’t lead to any improvement
- Your lawn is thin or patchy in spots
- Weeds or moss are taking over due to compaction
- It’s been a year or more since your last lawn aeration
But how often should you aerate your lawn? If it gets heavy use from kids or pets or your region has clay soil, aerate annually. Aerate once per year or even every other year if you have sandy soil or low traffic in your yard.
Professional experience is better if:
- You have a larger yard
- There’s extreme compaction or thatch
- You care about your lawn’s overall health
- You want to use your time on something you enjoy instead of sweating!
Here’s when it may make sense for DIY aeration:
- Smaller yards
- You want to spend less but work harder
- You’re comfortable with rental equipment
- You’re strong enough to use heavy equipment
Fall Fertilization Tips
It’s time to help your lawn recover from summer stress, prep for winter, and get set up for a healthy return in spring. When it comes to timing your fall fertilization, aim for a month or two before the first frost. Balanced fertilizers with potassium and nitrogen should be your go-to in autumn.
Potassium strengthens your lawn against drought and disease, giving it the resilience and prolonged health it needs to get through colder months.
As for nitrogen, it can improve your lawn’s density and aid in spring recovery. However, remember that applying it too late can harm warm-season grasses by delaying dormancy, which puts the turf more at risk when the first frost comes.
Soil Testing & pH Correction
Moderate fall temperatures combined with rainfall provide an ideal opportunity for soil amendments to work their magic. Testing is easy. In fact, you can get a DIY kit or send a sample to your local cooperative extension office to get a more in-depth analysis. Your test results will reveal both the pH and nutrient profile of your soil and give you a roadmap to understand what to do next.
If your results show that your soil is too acidic, fall is the best time to apply lime, which slowly moves down through the soil to change the pH over time. If your soil is too alkaline, sulfur can help to improve it.
Fall Lawn Treatment FAQs
When should I stop watering my lawn?
You can continue watering in the early morning (to prevent disease) in fall, but should stop watering once temperatures are consistently below 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Should I remove clippings in fall?
If you have a lot of clippings, you can bag them to eliminate the risk of grass suffocation or disease. Smaller clippings are advantageous though because they replenish the soil with nutrients.
What is the best fall fertilizer for my grass type?
A soil test can help determine this. The optimal ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium required for your particular warm-season grass will usually be suggested by this type of test. In general, fall fertilizers should concentrate on potassium and nitrogen since they better prepare your turf for winter conditions.
Final Lawn Care To-Dos Before Winter
It makes a significant difference to finish a few last-minute tasks before the winter freeze. This gets you set up for a smooth start in spring. Your end-of-season checklist should be based on this fall lawn care schedule.
- Cleaning and storing your lawn tools to prevent rust and damage
- Doing a final mow and possibly bagging the clippings to remove any disease spores
- Mulching the last thin layer of fallen leaves to add organic matter without suffocating the turf
- Setting up your lawn care calendar for spring so you’re prepared to start fertilizing and applying pre-emergent at the proper times
Your hard work today will pay off when your grass begins to green up again in a few months!
Ready to Take Care of Your Fall Lawn Care?
To get the best yard possible, there are key steps you should take each season. Fall is no exception! To maintain healthy grass today and prepare for a gorgeous lawn next year, follow our fall lawn care tips!
Interested in a professional fall lawn treatment service? Reach out to TDI Services in Robertsdale, AL today to learn more! With highly trained technicians and industry-leading products, we’ll take steps to help achieve your dream yard.