Fall Lawn Care
For fall lawn care tips and services in the greater St. Louis area, come to Lawn Sprinklers of St. Louis. You can learn more about our lawn care services and can schedule a service call by calling (314) 450-0342 or messaging our team today.
Fall Lawn Care Greater St. Louis
The transition of one season to the next always means something when it comes to lawn care. It takes carefully timed efforts year-round to keep a lawn looking nice and performing at its best. Some maintenance is easily done on your own, while other processes require professional services.
As cool weather approaches, don't let the hard work you've done all spring and summer go to waste. The proper fall lawn care done at the right time is absolutely essential to coming out of the winter with a luscious, thriving landscape. Let Lawn Sprinklers of St. Louis transform your property into the envy of your neighbors with our Missouri fall lawn care services. We have the expertise and skill necessary to keep lawns in Missouri healthy through every season of every year. Do yourself and your lawn a favor by contacting our fall lawn care and landscaping company today, by phone at (314) 450-0342 or online, today.
Fall Lawn Care Steps
As the autumn season approaches and the freezing weather and winter snows follow soon after, do you know how to care for your yard? Prepare the turf for the cold season and ensure that it stays at optimal health throughout the year by following these Missouri fall lawn care tips:
- Fertilize. The best time for you to fertilize your lawn will depend on the type of grass you have. There are cool-season grasses and warm-season grasses. With Missouri being in the country's transition zone, temperatures vary greatly throughout the year. Anyone who has spent any amount of time in Missouri knows this about our state's climate. As such, we have both types of grasses in the yards of our residents, and some yards are made up of a blend of both warm-season and cool-season grasses. Cool season grasses, such as fescue and bluegrass, should be fertilized in early to mid-September to November. As temperatures cool and you prepare to apply the last round of fertilizer of the season, switching to a special winterizing fertilizer will prepare your grass for the winter season and make it more hardy, making for a more full and luscious yard in the springtime. Warm-season grasses have an earlier schedule. You should start fertilizing warm season grasses like Bermuda and zoysia in July, with the last application in August, about six to eight weeks prior to the first frost. Be careful not to overfertilize.
- Aerate. Early fall is the ideal time to aerate your lawn. Though multiple methods of aeration exist, core aeration is the most effective. It improves soil composition and maximizes air, water, and nutrient flow in the soil. Aerating your Missouri lawn relieves compaction of the clay-rich soil and the plugs that are pulled from the ground break up thatch to a healthy thickness. Aeration is great for assisting in seeding and fertilizing.
- Mow. Adjust your lawnmower to cut your grass a bit shorter in the fall (it may be best to do this gradually). Three inches is a good benchmark. Keeping the grass shorter prevents fungal growth and matting in the winter under the added weight of dead leaves, snow, and ice. Cut it much shorter than three inches, and you give weeds room to take hold and grow. This is because blunted grass blades have less root growth, so there is more room in the soil for weeds to flourish. Let the rate of growth dictate when and how often you mow in the fall.
- Weed. A multiple-method approach will be most successful for fighting weed growth and keeping your grass healthy. The most direct method is the use of chemical herbicides. Treat your yard with a pre-emergence herbicide early in the fall to prevent annual winter weeds from sprouting. If weeds do emerge over the fall, a post-emergence herbicide can be applied late in the fall. Prevention is key in controlling weeds. Following general lawn maintenance guidelines like aerating and fertilizing at the recommended times will keep your yard lush, full, and healthy; this blocks out many weeds from being able to grow.
- Water. Cool-season grasses are still actively growing in the fall and, therefore, require water. Make sure your grass receives about one inch of water per week, gradually spreading this out to every two weeks as growth begins to slow and winter approaches. Pay attention to the unpredictable Missouri weather. Natural precipitation will provide adequate watering during much of the fall. For your irrigation or sprinkler system, prepare to winterize your watering system by clearing the lines of water before freezing temperatures set in.
- Clean. It's important to remove fallen leaves from your lawn. Too many leaves on the grass will block the grass's access to light and air and traps excess moisture. If the layer of leaves is not excessively thick yet, you can skip the raking and instead use a mulching lawnmower to shred the dry leaves and disperse them as a mulch. In addition to removing leaves, cleaning the yard includes addressing thatch, the buildup of dead organic matter between grass blades and the soil. A thatch layer thicker than half an inch will negatively affect the health of your turf. Use a tool specially made to dethatch and remove the excess organic matter.
- Repair. Are you seeing bare or dead spots in your lawn? Or is your yard looking a little sparse overall? Reseed bare spots in the early fall by sprinkling a few seeds around or lay a patch of sod, making sure it has plenty of water to get established. You can also overseed throughout your yard to prepare for a beautifully full spring lawn. Apply the seeds two to four weeks before the first frost of the season.
Fall Lawn Care Near Me | Lawn Sprinklers of St. Louis
Taking care of your yard in the fall with the proper maintenance steps will pay off many times over when the warm weather returns. Keep your turf looking great and staying healthy with fall lawn care. For your fall lawn care needs and all other landscaping services, Lawn Sprinklers of St. Louis is the leading St. Louis area provider. Begin the fall lawn care process today by calling us at (314) 450-0342.