A well-kept lawn can improve the appearance of the entire garden. No wonder so many people take care of it carefully.
Autumn is not a time when we do not have to do any work. You need to prepare the plants for winter so that they can survive it peacefully. We tell you how to prepare your lawn for its arrival so that it will be thick and green again in spring.
The lawn – like all plants that remain in the garden – is exposed to the effects of frost, moisture and snow. Therefore, it must be properly protected against its arrival. Otherwise, in spring its appearance may be poor.
It is worth knowing that in autumn the grass grows slower, but it does not go dormant. On the contrary, it is this is the moment when it strengthens its roots and accumulates reserves that allow it to survive the winter.
Skipping autumn work may result in the lawn simply rotting, being attacked by fungi and its roots becoming weaker. After the spring thaw, you may find that the grass is thinning, full of empty spots or yellow spots. It is therefore much better to take care of the lawn in the fall than to slowly restore it to normal after damage in the spring.
Care autumn is not difficult, but at the same time very important to protect the plants against cold and moisture. It is extremely important to regularly remove leaves and perform the last mowing in autumn, cutting the grass slightly lower than in summer.
Raking leaves, which retain moisture and limit the grass’s access to natural light, helps protect the lawn against fungi. When it comes to cutting, the best lawn mowing height is 4-5 cm. The grass will be too short to rot under the snow, but long enough to protect the plant roots from frost.
In autumn, the lawn also needs scarification or aeration. This involves pricking or cutting the turf to increase soil permeability and facilitate plants’ access to air and water, as well as improve their uptake of important nutrients. Aerating the lawn, that is aerationis important especially in the case of long-established lawns, but not only. This treatment is performed on slightly moist soil.
In autumn, we should also ensure that the lawn is properly fertilized and sow any gaps. It is worth choosing fertilizers without nitrogen, but with potassium and phosphorus. These ingredients support the development of the root system and increase the plants’ resistance to frost and diseases. Nitrogen would unnecessarily stimulate the grass to grow intensively.
When it comes to overseeding holes, doing this in the fall will give the new plants time to take root, so the lawn will be in better condition immediately in the spring. Otherwise, you would have to wait longer for the empty spaces to grow over.
