Recommended October Lawn Maintenance for Northeast Ohio

You can easily become distracted during the fall with everything going on. Additionally, unlike those hot summer days, you might spend more time indoors and avoid outdoor tasks.

However, as cooler temperatures start to creep in, it's only a matter of time before winter arrives. Proper northeast Ohio fall lawn care can help prepare your landscapes and vegetation for freezing temperatures. Even cool-season grasses don't have complete immunity against winter's cold bite.

This guide will explore the lawn care tasks you should handle this fall.

Get Rid of Weeds

While your lawn will experience fewer weeds during the fall, many can still survive this colder season and spring up in your grass. Besides being unsightly, these weeds can circulate plenty of nutrients into their strong root system, with wild violet and green ivy being two types of weeds to look out for in particular.

You should aim to administer weed control during the end of October. If you wait too long, more weeds will appear in the spring.

Rake Up Those Leaves

No fall lawn would be complete without brightly colored fallen leaves. While nice to look at, these leaves can cause problems for your grass. Rake your dry leaves every couple of days and remove wet leaves as soon as possible to not:

·         Kill your lawn's turf

·         Invite pests alongside nasty tree diseases

·         Prevent vegetation from undergoing photosynthesis

Prepare Your Lawn Mower

While you probably mow your lawn more during summer's growing season, you'll still spend time mowing in the fall. If you cut your own lawn, ensure you keep on its maintenance. Install new blades before spring arrives.

Additionally, you'll need to prepare for the last mow. Cut your lawn slightly more than average, around 2.5 inches instead of three. Doing so can prevent long grass blades from attracting snow mold.

Fertilize

Properly fertilizing can result in a beautiful lawn. However, many lawns make the mistake of not getting a soil test, resulting in choosing the wrong fertilizer. A soil test will check for the following:

·         Lacking nutrients

·         pH imbalances

·         The salt levels of your soil

·         Factors that can hamper your lawn's growth, like compacted soil

·         The correct soil and soil temperatures you should use

You can choose from many fertilizers, including organic fertilizers. A lawn care company can help you decide.

Overseed

Following summer, it's not uncommon for your lawn to have some bare patches due to factors like warmer temperatures. Fall makes a great time to apply grass seed to your turf, as autumn's temperatures provide the best conditions for seedlings to start germinating.

Aim to overseed 45 days before the frost first appears.

Prevent Frozen Pipes

When winterizing your irrigation system, you can prevent inside water from freezing your pipes. You'll also want to continue fall watering until the first frost appears.

Pre-Emergent Herbicide

Pre-emergent herbicide works by forming a chemical barrier on your soil's surface. This barrier can prevent unwanted weeds from growing. However, you shouldn't overseed and apply herbicide at the same time.

Discover More Northeast Ohio Fall Lawn Care Tips

Our lawns typically see less heavy foot traffic towards the end of fall until spring starts. However, plenty of action can still happen under the surface.

You'll want to use our full-service lawn care to help your yard survive the winter and prevent more work in the spring. Our team can help ensure you have healthy grass growing once winter ends.

For the best fall lawn care, call Advanced Quality Lawn at 330.655.1313 today.