It’s that time of year again in Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio where you get your fall honey-do list. If you’re like my husband, you may get a list of 50 things to do before the first hard frost. But I’ll take it easy on you. That's why today's article will focus on the 3 essential things you must do for your lawn.

Fall Lawn Care MUSTS

Here are three chores that should be on every homeowner's fall honey-do list:

1. Fertilize the lawn: While a light fertilizing job in the spring can give your grass a kick in the pants to start growing, fall is actually an ideal time to fertilize your lawn beyond a sprinkling. Fall fertilization will help your grass’s root systems grow deeper into the soil to allow for a thick carpet of grass to pop up in the spring.

Fertilizer is made up of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium. These are the three essential nutrients that your grass needs and loves. And if you’ve been reading these blogs for a while now, you’ll realize that you first need to do a soil test. After you get you soil test results back, you’ll know how much nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium that your yard really needs this fall.

2.  Liming: Fall is a great time to lime your property if your soil is too acidic. Again, a soil test will be able to tell you how acidic your lawn is—you want to shoot for a soil pH of 6.0 – 7.0.

Lime helps to neutralize your soil and late fall is the perfect time to apply it to your lawn. The winter’s freezing precipitation, as well as the thawing and refreezing of the ground, allows the lime to penetrate deep into the soil to do its work. Additionally, applying another round of lime in late winter will also benefit your soil because there will still be time and precipitation to allow for the lime to be soaked into the ground.

3.  Mowing: Granted mowing the lawn has been on your honey-do list since the grass started growing in the spring. However, as you wind down the yard work for the year, keep mowing your grass until it stops growing, which is usually after the temperatures start dipping below 43 degrees F. Most turf experts recommend that you cut your grass to a blade size of two inches for the last mow of the year. By cutting your grass really short at the end of the season, you help your lawn to avoid snow mold and other fungal diseases that can develop on lawns during the winter months.

Fall Is The Perfect Time To Get That Lawn Looking Great! This Free Guide Can Help!

Fall is your lawns best friend as temperatures begin to cool off, stopping most lawn diseases and allowing your lawn to recover. However, your lawn does need help along the road to recovery, and this FREE GUIDE is a perfect companion for the trip! Download it today by clicking on the button below and you'll learn the 5 Steps that every Homeowner should take to get their lawn looking great!