Lawn Care in Autumn

In the early part of autumn, the grass may need watering at intervals, especially after a warm late summer, to help prevent it drying out and wearing badly. Raking apparently green grass in early autumn generally unearths a surprising amount of loose dead grass and improves the health of the lawn. It should be done after mowing for best effect. Raking a second time at right-angles to the original direction of the rake is a good idea.

Autumn Gardening Techniques

Aeration to let air flow through grass and soil is particularly relevant during autumn. Aerating the lawn means sticking a garden fork into the soil as deeply as possible, then pushing the fork backwards and forwards to widen the holes it makes. By aerating at six-inch intervals, spreading sand over it and brushing the sand into the holes enables air and water to penetrate and stimulate healthy growth next year. Adding grit to worn areas will also help improve drainage.

Weeds should be dug out of the lawn if any have appeared during autumn. Fallen leaves should be removed from the lawn, as they are a prime source of fungal infections in grass. As an added precaution, brushing wormcasts away helps prevent weeds growing in them. Worms themselves are useful for lawns as they also help aerate the soil and they consume dead grass.

Grass tends to start growing a little more quickly during autumn, so that mower blades can be lowered. Blades should be gradually raised as autumn progresses. Additional seed should be added to shady or dead areas to help improve their appearance. This is known as overseeding.

If applying a feed to the lawn, using a specially formulated feed for autumn use is worth consideration. Autumn lawn feeds usually contain low levels of nitrogen, which is the type most suitable for using in autumn. Adding a moss killer is also good at the same time. Any blackened area indicates the moss dying. It should be allowed to turn brown, signifying it is actually dead, before raking it out. Dense moss will often require a few attempts to clear in this way.

Generally, autumn is the most preferred time for laying a new lawn or replacing an old one using seed, primarily because it is more difficult at this time of year for weeds to compete with the new grass seed. Spring is the other but less favourable alternative.

Even if the lawn has been tended adequately through spring and summer, variable weather will often have caused the lawn to dry out to different degrees so that bumps and hollows might have appeared again by autumn. If left untended, winter will exacerbate them, so these should be attended to.

Autumn is one of the main seasons for lawn care and maintenance, especially if a new lawn area is being prepared. While spring is the other season of opportunity for new lawn seeding and summer is the prime season for both making use of and working on the lawn, the winter season can also be utilized to help prepare lawns and equipment for work on the lawn throughout the year.