Continue to regularly mow.
Many individuals make the mistake of putting away the mower too soon, but regularly maintaining your lawn to keep about 3.5-4 inches is essential until the first hard frost. Although your grass’s growth rate may be slowing down, now is the time to continue to cut your grass! Your lawn will keep growing throughout the fall.

Remove dead leaves.
As the leaves begin to fall from your deciduous trees, make it a priority to remove them before they kill your lawn. By carpeting your lawn, dead leaves block sunlight and moisture from the grass, causing it to prematurely die and leave you without green grass in the spring. Collecting the leaves in your lawnmower’s bag or raking them are both great leaf removal methods.

Loosen the soil.
Aerating your soil every few years is important to prevent it from compacting, or hardening to the point that plant roots, stems, and debris block necessary oxygen, water, and nutrients from reaching it. To loosen your soil, rent a walk-behind aerator that punches holes and pulls up the soil, allowing fertilizer, air, and moisture to enter the ground.

Fertilize.
Right after aerating the soil is prime time to fertilize your lawn. The holes made by aeration make it easier for the fertilizer to access your lawn’s roots, and fertilizing in the fall encourages your grass to grow deep roots and preserve nutrients for regrowth in the spring. A dry lawn fertilizer or a slow-release granular fertilizer is best to apply in mid-late fall on all grassy areas in your outdoor space.

Setting your lawn up for successful spring growth is as simple as taking proper care of it in the fall. If you’re looking for assistance with your lawn maintenance, hardscaping projects, or stormwater facilities maintenance, give our experienced team at Atlantic Landscapes a call at (302) 661-1950. We’d love to help you maintain your landscape in the upcoming season, and our services include seasonal cleanup, mulching, pruning, and landscaping as well as design & build options.