Autumn Lawn Care
How to take care of your lawns in autumn
After yet another searing summer, it’s now the season where we greet cooler evenings and begin to get ready for the cold winter. Your grass will be relieved as summers can be lengthy and challenging. But with winter comes its own set of challenges. So here are our tips on how to care for your lawn in autumn, before it goes dormant in winter.
Address the impact of summer into winter on your lawn
In numerous regions, summer’s climate conditions can go from one extreme to the next within a day, or sometimes within hours. Hot days combined with times of heavy rainfall were no doubt valuable to your garden, decreasing the need to water as often and keeping your grass green. Now however, you might start to notice some reactions from these climate patterns, with seed heads materialising, and deterioration in both leaf colour and development.
Substantial moisture can bring about a variety of concerns. Initially, it can drain the supplements from your soil before your grass and plants have been able to take advantage of them, resulting in reduced soil richness. You can create a fertiliser to supplement this, by preparing decent NPK fertiliser with compost. To further amplify the efficiency of the fertiliser, add in kelp concentrates to bolster the nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the soil and give an immediate boost to aid in leaf development.
Soil compression is another common concern brought about by increased rainfall. Especially when in conjunction some wear and tear and a hotter climate, the ground has a tendency to solidify, diminishing the quantity of oxygen in the dirt. This essentially suffocates the root system of your garden. Address this by circulating air through via the application of a spiked roller, pitchfork, or even spiked shoes to break up the soil. Consider the use of gypsum to likewise work to separate the soil, and any clay that might be in the subsoil.
Increase your expectations of lawn mowing
Autumn is the perfect time to begin increasing the mowing height of your lawn, especially in sheltered or shaded regions of your garden. You ought to be leaving at least 50mm (5cm) of leaf on your lawn, even up to 60-70mm (6-7cm) in substantial shade. This will offer a superior leaf surface zone for your lawns for photosynthesis, allowing the grass to create essential sugars which are key for its general wellbeing.
Preserving a touch of additional length will likewise be valuable when winter approaches, as the grass leaves tend to end up less frost-affected with just the very tips dying off, leaving green growth underneath.
Getting the soil pH correct
On the off chance that you haven’t checked your soil’s pH levels for some time, pre-winter is an appropriate time to do so. Out of balance pH levels will not only diminish your lawn’s presentation, but they will also reduce the impact of fertilising your lawns. The ideal lawn pH level is 6.5, which is somewhat acidic. It may be that you must adjust a low soil pH. Generally this is achieved by utilising a nitrogen-rich fertiliser such as Sulfate of Ammonia, which will work to diminish alkaline soils.
Improve your lawn before winter arrives
You should always apply a decent fertiliser to your lawn before winter arrives. This is likely the most vital sustenance you will give your grass all year, and the Easter weekend is usually a decent time to put a reminder in your calendar. Ensure your grass is given a decent supply of nourishment with a NPK fertiliser, so that your grass will have the capacity to accomplish a tight sound matt of leaf development to hold out those winter weeds, alongside solid roots to battle the winter coolness.
Need Help?
If you need help caring for your lawn before winter, give our local expert at Jim’s Mowing NZ a call. You can contact us on 0800 454 654 or book a lawn care job online.
