Taking care of a lawn and keeping it healthy is practically a year-round task. So much attention is given to the grass during the growing season, but fall care is essential to help the grass overwinter and “spring” back to robust growth as the weather warms up. Here’s why your lawn will look amazing when you hire a lawn service near me to prep your lawn for winter in the Bloomfield Hills and Novi, MI, areas.
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Applying Fertilizer
As the growing season comes to a close, the grass begins sending its energy to the roots. Now can be the perfect time to give your lawn a boost by applying slow-release fertilizer. This is something many people skip, especially if their lawns did well the previous year. But why take chances? Fertilizing your lawn will also help with weed prevention when your lawn grows thick and lush. The trick is to apply the right fertilizer based on the quality of the soil, the condition of the grass, and other factors. The wrong fertilizer can do more harm than good. Lawn care professionals will apply the right fertilizer depending on your lawn’s needs, using correct application techniques.
Aeration
Aeration is an important fall lawn care task especially in areas where the combination of heavy foot traffic and summer heat and drought have compacted the soil. Aeration will loosen compacted soil to allow water, air, and nutrients to reach the roots. Otherwise, your lawn will not be able to store enough nutrients to thrive during the winter.
Dethatching
Dethatching is the process of removing accumulated organic material including dead grass leaves which have collected at the base of each grass plant. This is an important task for root health.
Mulching Leaves
A heavy accumulation of leaves on your lawn can suffocate it, if that leaf cover gets wet and sticky. It’s great to utilize the free nutrients found in leaves—but an effective way to get those nutrients into the ground without suffocating the lawn is to mulch them and spread the leaf mulch evenly across the lawn. Many homeowners prefer to have fallen leaves bagged and removed for a neater look, and a lawn care service can do that too. However, well-mulched leaves will break down quickly and sink beneath the surface of the lawn and your lawn will look great in no time—and it will benefit from the extra nutrients.
Patching
Most lawns look mostly great, with a few bare patches. Poor soil, too much shade, pet urine, and other factors could play a part—but often, it’s a situation that can be remedied with soil amendment and overseeding with the right grass species (such as shade-loving grass). Lawn care professionals will assess the situation and recommend the right solution. In some cases they may recommend applying sod (which can be done in early fall or in spring), or simply overseeding the area.
Weed Management
Weed management is another task that never seems to stop—and certainly not in the fall, when many weeds go to seed. A lawn care service will apply relevant post-emergent or pre-emergent weed killers to kill mature plants and ensure any weed seeds won’t germinate in spring. Professional treatment will ensure the safety of the surrounding landscaping, your family, and local wildlife.
Watering
Watering can continue until the ground is frozen. Lawn care services rarely offer watering, but they can work with you to design and install an automatic irrigation system that will greatly simplify the watering task. Installing an irrigation system will pay off in a healthier lawn and lower water bills, too.