Diamond Landscape Solutions fall lawn care checklist
Preparing your lawn for the winter season is a critical step toward achieving the healthy green lawn every homeowner should do or contract Diamond Landscape Solutions for help.
Virginia fall is the best time to ensure next year’s lawn growing season is a success. Things to keep in mind while preparing for the winter months.
- Fertilize. Promoting healthy grass root growth now is the best way to protect against weeds and insects, and will give your lawn a head start for the next growing season. Be sure to use a lawn fertilizer especially formulated for winterizing your law, The fertilizer is best applied before the grass stops growing – and as always, the right combination of quick- and slow-release components are critical.
- Water. Just because the summer heat has dissipated doesn’t mean your lawn doesn’t need to be watered. You should generally continue to water your lawns every two or three weeks as long as the ground temperature is above freezing.
- Seed. While warm-season grasses (the types that thrive in the south) are best seeded in the spring or summer, cool-season grasses should be planted in the fall. Take this opportunity to overseed (after aeration or thatching) your lawn or repair dead lawn patches.
- Maintain. Don’t forget to keep your lawn trimmed to the correct height as you prepare for the winter. Although the cooler weather means slower growth, it’s important that your lawn be long enough to insulate, yet short enough to not matte down under the weight of snow. In the north, this means your final grass cutting should be a little shorter than usual – about 1 ½ to 2 inches – while in the south, cutting grass to 2 to 2 ½ inches is just right to help insulate against the occasional frost or freeze.
One more important fall lawn care topic concerns whether or not to rake or mulch leaves. Much of the confusion results from the fact that there are benefits to both.
Most experts recommend that you rake up and discard (or compost) the initial heavy fall of leaves, since they can block air and light from getting to your lawn.
Later in the season, once the bulk of the leaves have been removed from your lawn, it may actually be beneficial to mulch a thin layer of leaves, which will decompose, adding organic matter to your soil and providing some additional protection from the elements without adding excessive weight.
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Diamond Landscape Solutions LLC
President Austin Tucker
Email: diamond.landscapesolutions@gmail.com
Phone: 804-572-9040