Fall Lawn Tune-Up

Fall is the most important time of the year when it comes to caring for cool-season lawns. The work you do now on your bluegrass or fescue lawn will really pay off later this fall and next spring.

Test your soil. A soil test will reveal serious nutrient imbalances and recommend whether you need to add lime or sulfur to adjust the pH. Your local cooperative extension can provide assistance in analyzing your soil for any deficiencies or will put you in touch with a private soil lab that can.

Control grubs. Late summer and fall can be the most active time for grubs. If you see irregular brown spots in your lawn or find grubs, apply Bayer Advanced™ 24-Hour Grub Killer Plus Granules. Its highly effective formula offers overnight results against grubs. For more on grubs, click here.

Control and prevent lawn diseases. Use Bayer Advanced™ Fungus Control for Lawns Granules II to control and prevent lawn diseases such as brown patch, dollar spot and red thread.

Fertilize. Fall is the most important time to fertilize cool-season lawns. Follow label instructions for amounts of fertilizer to apply and how to set your fertilizer spreader correctly.

Control lawn weeds. Weeds compete with grasses for water and nutrients and make your lawn look lousy. A well-cared-for lawn will resist weed invasions. Now Bayer Advanced has simplified lawn-weed control, making it easier than ever to kill both broadleaf and grassy weeds. Bayer Advanced™ All-In-One Lawn Weed & Crabgrass Killer Ready-To-Use kills over 200 types of broadleaf weeds, including dandelions and clover, PLUS grassy weeds like crabgrass and nutgrass – without harming your lawn (not for use on St. Augustine grass, Bahia, bentgrass, carpetgrass, centipede grass or Dichondra). The line features the most convenient and easy way to treat all of your weeds PLUS Crabgrass – the Bayer Advanced™ All-In-One Lawn Weed & Crabgrass Killer Ready-To-Spray – just hook to your hose and go. It also comes in Ready-To-Use containers, ideal for spot treatments, and concentrate for larger areas. Ready-to-use formulations contain SmartTrack®, a nonstaining red marker that shows which weeds have been sprayed before it slowly fades away.

Aerate. Aerating, which removes small cores of soil, is one of the best things you can do for your lawn. It improves water and nutrient penetration, increases the amount of air that reaches the roots and helps reduce thatch (a dense layer of organic matter that forms between the leaves and roots; if it gets over a 1/2-inch thick, it prevents air, water and nutrients from reaching the roots and the lawn begins to suffer). You can hire a lawn service to aerate your lawn, or rent a power aerator from a local rental yard and do it yourself. Once a year is usually often enough.

Plant. Fall is also the best time to plant cool-season lawns from sod or seed, so start a new lawn or repair thin areas of your existing turf. You can also overseed warm-season lawns with cool-season grasses to keep them green all winter in southern areas.

Water and mow. Don’t let up on regular lawn care. Water less as the days get cooler, but don’t let your lawn dry out. Be sure to follow appropriate local water guidelines. Mow regularly.