Hard to believe Labor Day is just around the corner. For anyone interested in a full, lush, stunning carpet of green grass next spring, you need to work on your lawn now.

After a water-logged summer good lawn care is critical. While 2023 wasn’t the rainiest summer on record, NOAA puts the rain gauge at 15.44 inches. So how can you get your lawn in peak condition now, so it comes back better than ever next spring? 

Here’s 5 simple steps that you can follow:

1) Take stock — how’s your lawn holding up? One way to find out: walk your entire lawn. Look closely. Sure, all that rain brought-out the green, but you need to check for problem areas, too. Are there brown or “dead” spots? And look for threadlike or powdery coatings on grass blades — that’s fungus. Fungus won’t go away by itself. Left untreated it will spread, destroying years of hard work. Lawn health is critical going into to fall.

2) “Feed Me Seymour” — your lawn has been on a liquid diet, all summer. When grass takes up water, it takes up all the soil nutrients, too. The more it rains, the faster nitrogen is used up. An under nourished lawn is susceptible to disease. Good lawn nutrition makes all the difference. And now is the time to feed your lawn. In some cases, new lawns require Phosphorus for new root growth. But nitrogen is the go-to for promoting grass growth all the way into fall. 

3) Do a quick chemistry check — what’s your lawns pH? You may need a soil amendment, like lime or compost. Heavy rainfall dissipates calcium in the soil making for more acidic conditions (not a great environment for any living thing). That’s why September is lime time. Test your soil to determine if you need less acidic/more alkaline.

4) Let it breathe — aerating your lawn is critical after a summer of heavy rain. Aeration punches small holes into your soil allowing air, water, and nutrients to reach the grass roots. Aerating creates space between soil particles for essential nutrients like nitrogen to reach grass’ roots. Aeration is one of the most important steps to maintaining a lush, healthy lawn. 

5)  You can’t have too much of a good thing — Overseeding involves spreading fresh grass seed over your existing lawn. It’s a great way to patch bare spots and establish new growth. Overseeded areas “green up” fast because there’s already an established grass root system there ready for germination. And consider planting different varieties of grass seed for a thicker, disease resistant lawn.

Information provided by Chris Hopkins, Greenleaf Landscaping LLC — experts at fall lawn care. And for more information on any of these topics, contact Greenleaf today. Talk to Greenleaf today: 774-421-9570.

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