Don’t Wait to Prep Your Lawn for Winter Until It’s Too Late!
If you want your lawn to bloom to its fullest potential next spring, you’ll have to tackle some maintenance tasks in preparation for another frigid New Jersey winter. Read on to learn four essential fall lawn care tips to protect your lawn from dropping temperatures and ensure it’s fully equipped to blossom come springtime!
Continue To Irrigate
Because it rains frequently during winter, many assume they should water their lawns less frequently. While there is less evaporation during fall and winter, your lawn still may not receive the necessary amount of water to stay adequately hydrated. Consider investing in a rain gauge to keep track of how much water your lawn regularly gets. If it’s getting less than an inch each week, be sure to continue to run your irrigation system until October comes to an end.
Rake Regularly
While it may be a blast to dive into a pile of freshly fallen leaves, the thick cover of foliage is actually detrimental to your lawn. Not only do clumped up leaves keep your grass from receiving enough sunlight, but they also prevent the turf from absorbing sufficient moisture, or worse, promote the growth of harmful fungi. While leaf blowers and vacuums are efficient, they won’t remove excess buildup like a traditional rake will. Therefore, it is important to rake your yard by hand from time to time in order to tackle thick thatch. Consider composting the leaf piles or chopping them into mulch which can be used to fertilize your grass.
Fertilize your lawn with a nitrogen-rich fertilizer in the fall if you want it to appear better and be healthier. This technique will provide your lawn with lots of nutrients to help it survive the winter and grow stronger in the spring. As a result, the single most critical time of year to fertilize is in the fall. If you aerate, fertilize immediately after to guarantee that the nutrients penetrate deeper into the soil.
For New Jersey fall lawns, two fertilizer treatments are ideal. To help the grass recover from severe summer use and heat damage, use the early treatment between late August and early September. At this time of year, slow-release fertilizer is ideal since it will nourish the grass for several weeks. Later autumn fertilization is best administered in late October or early November, and it should be a fast-release mix to provide the grass a good boost of nourishment before the roots become dormant.
Fertilize For A Fresher Lawn
Increased amounts of morning dew during the fall season help grass absorb nutrient-rich fertilizer. Fertilizing your lawn during autumn allows it to gear up for the harsh winter season ahead. Phosphorus fertilizers stimulate root growth, letting your grass retain more moisture during cooler months and strengthening your lawn as temperatures warm up so that it will be flourishing by the time next spring arrives. Nitrogen-rich fertilizers also deliver essential nutrients that will help your lawn get through wintertime.
Aeration Lends Your Grass A Helping Hand
Core aeration loosens up the soil in order to release carbon dioxide and intake oxygen, nutrients and water by pulling up small plugs of soil which will fill in once it rains or you irrigate your lawn again. It is a good idea to fertilize during fall to allow your lawn to bloom to its full capacity after winter has come and gone. Be sure to aerate your lawn every couple of years before you fertilize so that your grass can absorb the highest amount of nutrients.
If you’d like to learn more about preparatory fall maintenance and give your lawn a boost before winter, give us a call at (973) 366-8754 or feel free to fill out an online contact form. We would be more than happy to help in any way we can!