7 Lawn Care Mistakes to Avoid This Autumn

Hello World! Welcome Friends!  When the temperatures start going down during autumn, it can be easy to feel lazy to do the usual gardening chores.

Unfortunately, fall is not the best time to be lax when it comes to taking care of and maintaining your lawn. Landscape maintenance service providers say that if you want to have less work to do during spring to bring your yard back to life, you need to put some extra effort to maintain and protect your lawn this fall to prepare it for the cold weather properly.

You can start by avoiding these gardening and yard care mistakes this time of the year to have a healthy and lovely lawn when the new season comes:

1. Using a Mower with Dull Blades

Summer often calls for an increase in mowing frequency.

Because of your frequent mowing, the mower blades could already be dull.

Mowing with dull blades can cause your turf a lot of damage since when you do this, the blades do not cut the grass; they rip it.

When you use the mower without sharpening the blades, the grass will be more susceptible to lawn disease, discoloration and damage.

To know if your mower blades need to be sharpened, look at the grass blades after mowing. If the blades do not have a nice clean cut and look shabby and shredded, you need to sharpen the mower blades.

2. Overwatering

Giving your lawn more water than it needs, especially during late autumn, can prevent the grass from hardening to protect itself.

To make sure your lawn stays properly hydrated during fall, gradually reduce the amount of water you use once temperatures begin to drop.

During the next few weeks, water your lawn only if there is an exceptionally warm or dry spell in your area.

3. Cutting the Grass Too Low

Cutting the grass blades too short in the fall can reduce their capacity to convert sunlight into nutrients, which they will store and use when temperatures become colder.

Also, grass blades do not grow quickly during autumn and, as such, may not easily recover from being cut low.

Although cutting the grass too short may offer some benefits, it is best to mow your grass the same height in the fall that you did during the previous seasons. This will help you avoid a lot of issues in the future.

4. Not Removing Fallen Leaves Immediately

A lot of people make the mistake of waiting until all the leaves have fallen off from the trees before raking or removing them. However, grass needs sunlight to live and grow.

If you allow the dead leaves to accumulate on the ground, your grass won’t receive the right amount of sunlight. This can cause weeds to grow and your grass to deteriorate and die.

As such, remove fallen leaves as quickly as possible. Use a rake or blow away the leaves while they are still dry to have an easier time doing this chore since wet leaves tend to stick to the ground and are harder to remove.

5. Failing to Mulch the Lawn

Mulch helps plants retain heat and moisture. They also nurture soil microbial activity, which helps keep your soil healthy and nutrient-rich.

Additionally, mulch prevents the growth of weeds and soil erosion.

Failing to mulch during fall means leaving your lawn unprotected from the cold weather conditions, which can cause your grass to die. Soil erosion may occur as well.

When your plants are not properly insulated, they may not survive changes in the weather.

6. Using the Wrong Kind of Fertilizer

The right type of fertilizer can help your lawn survive the cold weather since it can enhance the plant’s root development, carbohydrate production and storage. However, you need to use the right kind – one that is specifically designed for autumn.

Applying the wrong kind of fertilizer during fall can stimulate the top growth or only the visible blades of the grass.

If this happens, the grass will not harden off and they’ll have a hard time surviving the cold season.

To protect your lawn during winter, apply fertilizer high in nitrogen. This will keep your yard protected and nourished during cold weather conditions and help bring the plants back to life the following season.

7. Letting the Weeds Grow

Weeds compete with plants for food, water, and other nutrients.

When not controlled properly and immediately, weeds can overcome your grass and other plants.

If you let these invasive plants grow, you’ll have a lawn full of weeds instead of grass when spring comes.

Once you see some weeds sprouting from your lawn, pull them out manually, and quickly. You can also use a weed killer – preferably one that is environmentally friendly, if there are too many for you to pull by hand.

Maintaining a beautiful and healthy lawn requires a lot of hard work.

If you don’t have the time and resources to take care of your outdoor space, you can always get help from providers of lawn maintenance and landscaping services. They can maintain and enhance the quality and look of your lawn regardless of the season.

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