October is a transitional time for nature to cool from the summer heat and prepare for the winter months ahead. During the mild temperatures, you can rejuvenate your lawn from the extreme heat damage through renovations, weeding lawns and flower beds, fertilizing your grass, and cleaning and pruning trees and bushes. In addition, October is the best month for cultivating, planting, fertilization, and pest control to boost growth after the freezing winter temperatures. The Tri-Cities landscape professionals at Promier Landscapes share five lawn care tasks to complete this month so that you can restore your lawn’s health and prepare for lush green growth in the spring.
Garden Clean-up
Cleaning out your gardens can help reduce damage during winter. Begin with pruning trees and bushes, and remember to remove diseased or dead limbs. Next, remove potted plants, leaves, and other debris from your garden. Water your trees and bushes once more, then drain your water hose for winter storage. Finally, our landscape pros in Bristol recommend raking the lawn to remove additional debris that could block sunlight and nutrients from your soil.
Cultivation, Seeding, and Over-seeding
Autumn is an excellent growth season as your lawn recovers from heat. Therefore, our experienced landscapers in Johnson City recommend homeowners consider planting cool-season grass varieties to help revive their lawn. Warm weather days and cooler nights are perfect for seed germination for Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, tall fescue, and fine-leaf fescues. In addition, over-seeding and aeration can help vital nutrients and water reach the grass roots, promoting faster growth.
Water and Mow
Once over-seeding is complete, remember to water your lawn lightly and frequently until grass seed germination completes. Then, water your lawn less often to encourage deep root growth that could sustain your yard during droughts. Finally, our Kingsport landscaping crew recommends sharpening your mower blades after intense summer use that can dull the edges. Sharpening your blade ensures you get a clean cut on the grass blade instead of tearing, which could heavily damage your lawn’s health. Finally, shorten the grass height each time you mow until the end of fall as you prepare for a non-mowing season.
Soil Testing and Preparation
Testing your soil’s pH balance and nutrient content can help determine your lawn’s specific health needs. For example, acidic soil can cause turbulent growth patterns and requires a lime treatment to reduce the acid content. Since it takes time to notice lime application results, the fall growing season is the best application time. Soil testing kits are available in your local retail or garden store. However, to receive quality results with the best treatment plan, contact our lawn care pros in the Tri-Cities area for a soil test today.