Spectacular Fall: Your Guide to Connecticut’s Perfect Lawn Care
Fall is a wonderful time of year. The leaves are turning colors, the air is cooler, and the holiday season is gearing up. Having a beautiful lawn throughout the fall isn’t that difficult if you know what to do. These fall lawn care tips for Connecticut can help, especially when prepping your lawn for the colder months ahead. Make sure to visit Contractors Supply for all your Fall lawn care needs.
Connecticut’s Fall Climate and Lawn Care
Keeping your grass beautiful during the fall can be challenging, but there are opportunities to protect and maintain your lawn. The temperature and precipitation in Connecticut can have multiple effects on your lawn. Precipitation is higher during winter and spring which could oversaturate the ground. In most cases, it’s best to plant in the early spring because the grasses that are common in Connecticut go dormant in the summer when it’s hotte.
Raking and Leaf Management
There is a fine art to properly removing leaves without damaging the grass. In fact, there is a state law in Connecticut that requires every town to offer leaf recycling. This could be in the form of having residential drop-offs, leaving them at the curb to be picked up, or composting. Many people choose to have a mulching mower to help the health of the grass and saves time from having to consistently rake up leaves.
Core Aeration: Reviving Your Lawn’s Health
Core aeration in the fall helps the grass recover from the summer months before the cold hits. This helps the roots get adequate water, nutrients, and oxygen to survive during the cold spell. Core aeration is when you use a machine called a lawn aerator to open up the soil so the water and nutrients can get to the roots.
The machine creates holes that close on their own. You must make sure the lawn is ready for aeration. Once you are ready, prepare the lawn with one inch of water and make sure you don’t’ have any areas that may interfere with the equipment. Once you aerate the lawn, you should overseed the lawn to make sure it remains healthy throughout the winter.
Overseeding for a Fuller Lawn
There are many benefits to overseeding a lawn in Connecticut. This is planting new grass seed on top of the current lawn to provide a thick, lush appearance while filling in any bald spots. When overseeding, it enhances the color of the lawn, improves density, and reduces the risk of diseases and pests. The key is in choosing the right grass seed and preparing the soil for the process.
Fertilization Strategies for Fall
Just like humans, grass needs the right nutrients to have a healthy, lush, green appearance. Good fertilizers help with color and growth. When choosing fertilizers, knowing the best time and the type of fertilizer to use is important. For instance, slow-release fertilizers should be used in the spring and fall will help maintain the health of your grass. The best fertilizers usually have micronutrients and a good combination of macro nutrients. Look for fertilizer that has potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorus.
Weed Control in Fall
Common fall weeds in Connecticut include Chickweed, Creeping Charlie, Bittercress, Dandelion, Giant hogweed, Black Medic, Henbit, White Clover, Bindweed, Corn speedwell, and Purple deadnettle. If you can, applying a pre-emergent herbicide can help control weeds when it starts getting cooler.
Mowing Techniques for Fall
A good practice for mowing the grass during the fall in Connecticut is to adjust things as the temperatures drop. It’s always best to avoid cutting more than one-third of the total length but mow the grass at a higher length. Another good tactic is to use a mulching mower to help enrich the soil under the grass. Ideally, you want to shorten the level of the grass before the first winter frost by 2.5 inches, or .5 inches below your normal mowing height.
Watering Wisely in Fall
One of the best things you can do is adapt your irrigation practices to the changing conditions of fall. The goal is to conserve water resources, observe standing rules and water restrictions, and prevent over watering which can be just as bad as not watering at all.
Protecting Your Lawn for Winter
One of the best fall lawn care tips for Connecticut includes properly preparing your lawn for the cold months. The grass doesn’t grow as much starting in October, so you can start mowing the grass at a shorter height, but not scraping the ground. Connecticut gets very cold during the winter so you may have winter damage like snow mold, crown freeze, cold dessication, or voles under the surface.
Winterizing your lawn equipment is also a factor to ensure everything stays in good shape. Here are a few steps:
- Burn off fuel
- Check and change the air filter and spark plug
- Sharpen and balance the blade
- Scrape the underside
- Wash or hose off the outer part of the machine
- Inspect all belts
- Change the oil
Nurturing Your Connecticut Lawn through Fall
These fall lawn care tips for Connecticut should help you keep your lawn looking great throughout the fall, while preparing your grass for the winter months. By utilizing good leaf management, core aeration, overseeding, having a strategy for fertilizing, mowing, and watering, you’ll be able to keep your grass in tip-top shape.
There are multiple long-term benefits of fall care for a lush spring grass, such as controlling weeds and pests, being able to plant new seeds, and keeping the grass in decent condition even during snowy months.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is fall the only time for core aeration in Connecticut?
No. It depends on the type of grass you have. Aerating in the spring is always recommended. Additionally Aerating cool-season grass should occur in the fall. Contractors Supply has aerators in stock to make keeping up with your lawn in the fall easy.
Can I leave some leaves on my lawn during fall?
Absolutely. In most cases, this is done through mulching. These leaves help enrich the soil.
How often should I water my lawn as fall progresses?
In most cases, as fall progresses, you want to water your grass at least once a week to every other week.
Can I fertilize and overseed at the same time?
Yes, you can do this to save time if you choose. You can also fertilize before and after overseeding. If you don’t do it simultaneously, make sure they are done within 3 days.
