Autumn Lawn Care - Squire's Garden Centres

Autumn Lawn Care

Summer is usually the most stressful time of year for your lawn, when it receives most use and, unfortunately, most damage. Autumn, accordingly, is the perfect time to check for damage and treat any symptoms of wear and tear. In autumn, specifically September and early October, temperatures are still warm enough to stimulate growth, making this is the best time for your lawn to heal and prepare for winter.

The primary aim of autumn lawn care, therefore, is to set things in order before the onset of winter. By winter, low temperatures and frost will prevent growth and slow absorption rates, making it difficult for your lawn to repair. It’s also simply not a pleasant time of year to be working the garden!

Repair summer damage and get your lawn in good shape in autumn, and you could be pleasantly surprised in spring the following year. This period of winter chill should preserve your hard work, in time for another successful year of enjoying your lawn.

Mowing

As autumn draws in, shorter days and lower temperatures will slow grass growth, meaning you will have to mow less frequently. Furthermore, it is advisable to allow your grass to grow a little longer in autumn. This will encourage deeper root growth and retention of moisture. This is particularly important at the time of year when organic processes are slowed and nutrients are absorbed less quickly.

Keeping your grass at around 5 – 6  cm (2 – 2.5 inches) is advisable, and this will only require fortnightly mowing. In tandem with mowing, it is also worth flattening uneven areas in your lawn. Dips and troughs can result after heavy summer use and can be levelled out with a spade. It is advisable to aerate the lawn afterwards and bring the turf level into line with the rest of the lawn. More on that later.

A well-levelled lawn left to grow a little longer will be in a good position to resist the ravages of winter, meaning less work in the springtime.

Apply a Moss Killer to the Lawn

Autumn is a particularly good time to apply a moss killer product to your lawn, especially if you intend to overseed later. It is important you use a moss killer before scarifying so that you do not spread the spores which will make the problem worse. After application, you’ll see that the moss has turned black within a couple of weeks. A spreader like the Miracle Gro Drop Spreader can make this task much easier by ensuring the correct amount is applied per square metre of lawn, the correct application is essential. Apply too much in one area and you risk damaging the lawn.

Products such as Mo Bacter are available and do not require scarifying after treatment as active bacteria will transform the moss into fertiliser.

Scarify to Tackle Moss and Thatch

Raking, or scarifying, keeps levels of dead moss and thatch (old grass stems and other debris) at a minimum. Moss and thatch can prevent water and fertiliser from penetrating deep enough to reach the roots of your grass. It’s generally better to scarify during the Autumn over Spring because you can rake/scarify a bit deeper. If opting for Spring you’d have to be more delicate so as not to scarify too deeply into the lawn because it may not recover during summer conditions (drier, hotter, more use). Scarifying should get rid of all that dead moss as a result of your weed and moss killer. For larger gardens you might consider using an electric or petrol scarifier as it will make things go a lot faster and easier.

Aerate to Improve Drainage

Now, time to improve the drainage of your lawn. Areas of your lawn that receive heavy traffic in summer can become very compacted. This in turn causes drainage problems, as well as more weeds and moss. Considering you just got rid of a lot of that, if not all, you don’t want to give it a chance to thrive again. To aerate, simply push a garden fork into the ground as far as it will go, then wiggle it out. No need to use excessive force when wiggling, as this will create larger holes than necessary. Do this every 3-5 inches. For larger gardens you might consider an electric or petrol aerator to help move things along. Also available are Super Tough Lawn Spike Shoes and Lawn Aerators.

Feeding and Overseeding

Along with spring, autumn is the best time for lawn feeding. Damp conditions and continued growth will allow a well-drained and aerated lawn to shore itself up for winter when nutrient absorption and growth will slow dramatically.

It is best to feed at the start of autumn, allowing you to take advantage of the maximum period of continued growth without the problems of summer heat, drought and increased lawn use, which can impede growth and nutrient absorption.

At the beginning of autumn, a granular feed such as Lawn Booster is recommended as this releases a steady amount of nutrients over a period of weeks, perfect for supporting the growth rate which increases over a similar period. All granular feeds will come with the recommended rate; it is important to adhere to this and apply when the soil is moist. You can achieve this by applying when rain is expected.

Autumn is also the best time of year for overseeding, as summer lawn use is likely to have left bare or worn patches on your lawn. General stress to your lawn during summer may also have thinned out your lawn more generally, and so a blanket overseeding can be necessary.

Please check your autumn lawn food for recommended intervals between feeding and seeding. Some seed mixed with slow-release fertiliser is available such as Smart Seed. Use a lawn spreader like the Miracle Gro Drop Spreader to distribute the mixture evenly. The soil must, however, be moist, so be sure to water your lawn a little first or apply seed when rain is expected. Patch repair kits are also available, such as Miracle Gro Patch Magic, should you need to encourage a little extra growth in a particularly worn part of your lawn. Be sure NOT to use a spring fertiliser as the high levels of nitrogen can cause the grass to be damaged when winter frosts set in.

Trimming

Autumn is undoubtedly the best time of year to trim the edges of your lawn and beds, as well as make other cosmetic changes. The season is uniquely well-suited to this practice because decreased use and growth will allow edges just enough time to grow in nicely for winter.

After summer, lawn and bed edges can have become overgrown or, depending on the shade caused by your garden vegetation, unevenly grown in. There are several ways to ensure neat edges which will become set for winter.

If your lawn edges aren’t straight, use a plank of wood or string to determine a straight line and cut along with a half-moon Edging Iron. Be sure to clip any overhanging grass to ensure a straight edge.

For edging beds, it is best to use a pair of Edging Shears as a closer cut will be necessary for this to look neat. Don’t forget to collect the cuttings from the bed for compost or, alternatively, do your edging just before a scarifying session, and pick up the cuttings and other debris in one go.

A gardener using a garden fork to manually aerate a lawn

Ready for Winter

Done all that? Great job! Your lawn is in the best place to be ready for winter and the following spring. If you’ve never cared for your lawn to this level before you might be in for a shock at how good your spring lawn will look. There’s still a few more things you can do for your lawn in winter which you can read in our winter lawn guide.

Other Seasons

You can find our other seasonal lawn care guides here:

Other Useful Links:

Lawn Care Products

Browse our lawn care department to see our excellent range of lawn care products:

Vacancies

You are now leaving Squire’s and visiting our careers website, to view and apply for our latest jobs.