Getting Started On Your Lawn in the Fall at myhomechannel.org

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Getting Started On Your Lawn in the Fall
by Tom Kent

For a lush, smooth carpet of grass, treat your lawn like one of the family.

Your lawn is a living, growing, dynamic, maturing, sometimes misbehaving, body of life. (Hmmm...sure sounds like a few family members I've known.) For the most part, it responds to the care and attention we give it. A well-mannered, healthy lawn makes us feel good, it can significantly improve the curb appeal and value of our homes, it’s a therapeutic and grounding activity, it’s relatively inexpensive, and relatively easy to find success.

Get To Know It First--Test It. Give your lawn the opportunity to tell you exactly what it needs before you do anything else. The alternative can be expensive and time-consuming.
A soil test kit can be purchased at most hardware stores, but it's best to get several samples from your yard and send them to your state cooperative.
Planning Your Strategy
1. Consider the lawn’s conditions and determine whether you plan to:
  Renovate - Entire lawn replacement. Sometimes you have to start fresh.
  For Lawn Renovation see our article Fall Lawn Rennovation (Transitional Zone)
  Repair - A more surgical procedure. Only certain areas are replaced or complimented.
  For Lawn repair see our article Fall Damaged Lawn Repair (Transitional Weather Zone)
  Maintain - Can include aeration, fertilizing, seeding and weed control
2. What about sunlight? Visually inspect your yard to determine how much sun it gets throughout the day. Some lawns overall fitness could benefit from the use of grass seed better suited for shade such as Kentucky 31 Tall Fescue.
3. Put together a list of seed and fertilizers based upon test result needs, exposure to sun, amount of area, and degree or level of maintenance you decide your lawn needs.
Give Your Lawn a Good Massage - Aerate your lawn to loosen soil, especially compacted soil in high traffic areas, before fertilizing and seeding. This will allow air, nutrients, moisture, fertilizer, and new seed to get deep into the root structure.
Nourishment - Fertilizing is one of the basic and most important parts of maintaining a healthy lawn. Fertilization affects grown, color, density and uniformity. These extra nutrients will make or break a lawn care schedule, but make sure to pick the right fertilizer based on your soil test!
Overseeding - If you are over seeding and have not aerated or loosened the soil, once you have finished seeding, spread a thin layer of top soil over the seeds. Lightly water the seeds twice a day to be sure they stay moist enough to germinate.
Remember To Water - A good lawn needs about ¾" to 1" of water per day. Unless you have recently seeded, this doesn't mean it needs to be watered everyday! Depending on your weather, grass should be watered two times a week but thoroughly, soaking down to the root. Always try to water in the morning to conserve water and prevent it from being evaporated by the midday sun.
Refertilizing Builds Strong Roots - Even though your lawn is dormant in the winter, a late fall fertilizing helps your grass underneath the soil line where the root system is active Your soil test and your fertilizer will have recommended re-treatments and directions on how those should be done. Each lawn is different so read carefully!
Define Lawn Edges – Optional but clean lines, either straight or curved really give your yard a professional look and great curb appeal.

Note: Use of a pre-emergent for winter weeds should be postponed until well after new grass has appeared. The pre-emergent will prevent the grass from germinating. You may even want to wait if the increased grass cover eliminates the weeds on it’s own.

Click here to read Step One - Home Energy, Utilities, and Safety - Getting Your Plan Schedule and Goals in Place and the Importance of Keeping Track

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