It might seem crazy to think about, but we all need to accept it sooner rather than later: 2024 is coming to a rapid close. We know what you’re thinking because we’re thinking it ourselves. How can another year have flown by so quickly? As you begin shifting gears toward a holiday mindset, we wanted to remind you of the importance of some prep work for your lawn. Lawn care tips for the fall are different here than even a state or two further north. The climate here in Northern Florida is unique, and the steps we want to recommend to you today will help you prepare your yard for the changing season.
Here are our top six lawn care tips for fall and how they’ll keep your grass healthier than it’s ever been.
Mowing during the summer
Lawn care tips for the fall actually start in the summer. You might be wondering what we’re referring to, so let’s start with the most basic: mowing.
The way you mow in May, June, and July can have a tremendous impact on the health of your lawn in December, January, and February. So, while you’re perhaps reading this later in the season, that’s okay. Keep these in mind during the spring and summer of 2025!
Our first mowing tip is to reduce your mowing height. This means you’ll mow more frequently, yes. But it also means that your lawn will have a better chance to absorb what it needs from the environment. A taller blade can deal with whatever threats Mother Nature throws its way ranging from potential diseases to drought-like conditions.
Another tip is to change the direction you mow so that your grass has a chance to grow. If you always mow the same way, you’ll run the risk of compacting your yard. This ties directly into our next overall lawn care tip for the fall: aeration.
How aeration can help the health of your lawn
Have you ever heard of thatch? No, it’s not a shortened nickname for Margaret Thatcher (a joke that might reveal our age, so let’s move on!).
Thatch is the leftover deposits of organic materials that often suffocate your soil. Do you remember that tip we just gave you for changing your mowing direction? Thatch works the same way by compressing these dead materials into your soil. It prevents nutrients from reaching the root of each blade and can lead to a deadened or browned yard quickly.
The best way to remove thatch? Aeration! We’ve provided a few guides here and there on how to aerate your lawn, so be sure to check one of them out here! Simply put, this is a much-needed lawn care tip to prepare your lawn for the changing season.
Following watering best practices
Another consideration to get your lawn ready for the fall and winter months is your watering best practices. Like any other living and breathing creature on this planet, your grass needs water to survive and thrive. If you need proof, just take a look at a Northern Florida lawn during the dry season and you’ll quickly see how important watering best practices are to preparing your lawn for the fall.
Now, that being said, while it’s always a good idea to water your lawn during the evening hours and to keep your sprinkler system active long enough to fully penetrate the soil, there are also a few restrictions to keep in mind leading up to the fall months. The short version is that the frequency with which you can water will be reduced after daylight savings time ends, so be sure to check out our full guide to watering here.
Remove fallen leaves
Have you ever tried to breathe through a straw? If so, you probably didn’t feel as if you got enough air for what your lungs needed. Our mouths and noses are meant to bring in air so that we can get a deep breath, fueling our cells and keeping our bodies healthy.
If you’ve been reading our blog for a while now, you’ve probably picked up on the fact that we’re not really talking about the human body. Instead, we’re referring to your lawn and the way it needs to “breathe” just like any one of us.
Besides thatch, one way that your lawn can quickly die out is if you allow fallen leaves to remain on your grass for too long. Some homeowners will mow more often as the leaves fall, continually mulching them up and acting as food for the soil.
That’s a solution for sure; we just don’t recommend you mow a large volume of leaves all at once. It can be too much of a good thing and actually lead to health problems in the spring. Other methods of disposing of leaves include bagging them up or tilling them into compost for your garden.
Just don’t “leaf” them be.
Haul off debris
This is a quick lawn care tip for the fall. When we say haul off debris, we’re not necessarily referring to trash. Rather, we’re talking about tree limbs as they fall. While some of these might be small (and thus, you might be tempted to just mow them over), trust us: a far better, and healthier solution for your lawn, is to collect them and haul them away.
Perform a soil test
Our final lawn care tip for the fall is another short one. It’s always a good idea to perform a soil test from time to time. In the latter half of the year, this can help you identify problems with your yard that might necessitate other steps or a more direct course of action in the spring.
Work with a lawn care company that can prepare your yard for the changing seasons
If all of these tips sound like more than you have time for, trust us: we get it. We’d love to help you prepare your yard for the changing seasons with one of our lawn care packages. Contact our offices to chat with a member of our team for more details or send us a message here to get started!
Here are some great resources to help your lawn look its best:
How to Overseed a Lawn: Step-by-Step Guide for Lush and Healthy Turf