Fall Lawn Care Checklist 9 Jobs Before Winter, by AgriBloom on YouTube. 3 min 52 s.
- Video length
- 3 min 52 s
- Time to do it
- 3 hours of work over 4 to 6 we
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Steps
- 9
What you need
Steps
Test soil pH and nutrients first with a home kit or a lab sample. Add lime or sulphur as the result advises, before you spend money on fertilizer.
Spray broadleaf weeds on a calm day while the grass is still growing, when weeds are sending food down to their roots.
Drop the mower deck one notch and cut the lawn a little shorter. Rake off clippings and debris so seed and water can reach the soil.
Core aerate the whole lawn, going over it in two directions. Leave the plugs on the surface to break down.
Overseed thin and bare patches right after aerating, while the soil is still warm. Keep the seed moist until it germinates.
Feed twice, once in early fall and once in late fall, at the rate on the bag. Never spread fertilizer on frozen ground.
Water deeply about once a week, roughly an inch, rather than light daily sprinkles. Skip it when rain has already done the job.
Rake or blow leaves off the grass little and often. Wet leaves left in a mat smother new seed and yellow the lawn.
Do a final mow when growth stops, then winterize your gear. Drain or stabilize fuel, clean the deck, sharpen the blade and store hoses and sprinklers dry.
Tips and common mistakes
Test before you feed, because lime or sulphur on the wrong pH wastes a whole season of fertilizer.
Sharpen the mower blade first, since a ragged cut invites disease through winter.
Stay off frozen or soggy ground, as footprints and wheel ruts compact the soil.
Wear gloves and goggles when mixing or spraying weed killer, and keep children and pets off the lawn until it dries.
Questions
When should I overseed in fall?
Once summer heat breaks but the soil is still warm, ideally at least four to six weeks before your first expected frost. That gives new roots time to settle before winter.
Do I really need to core aerate?
On compacted, mossy or heavily used soil it makes the biggest difference to seed and water reaching the roots. On loose, healthy soil you can skip it and just overseed.
What if leaves keep falling all autumn?
Run the mower over a thin layer to chop it into the grass. Rake thick drifts instead, because a mat of wet leaves kills the grass underneath.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
