Your Guide To Autumn Lawn Care

The turf present in our backyards and gardens can be fickle creatures once the cooler months arrive, so understanding the basics of autumn lawn care is a must. 

If your plants are the artwork of any garden, then consider your lawn to be the frame. If it’s not in tip top shape, then unfortunately the whole area just doesn’t quite look as it should. With winter just around the corner, gardening in autumn often means taking special precautions to protect their fruits, vegetables and flowers – but what about the lawn?

The simple fact of the matter is that if your lawn is a little unhealthy and nutrient poor in autumn, then it will likely go into winter unprepared for the colder conditions and not be able to bounce back to its former glory. As such, autumn lawn care is crucial if you want to maintain all of the hard work you’ve no doubt put into your turf during the warmer periods of the year. 

Five Tips For Autumn Lawn Care

Depending on where you live in Australia, your lawn may have received more than it bargained for during the recently departed summer months. The grass may have been scorched bone-dry, received a lack of sunlight thanks to cloudy conditions, been underwater with recent flooding, or a combination of all three. Regardless, taking the time to provide your turf with some of the more common autumn lawn care strategies are essential for protecting it once winter arrives. 

Aerate Your Lawn – Loosening the soil – also known as “aerating” – helps to not only encourage deeper and stronger root growth, but also provides water with a little bit of assistance so that it can penetrate the lower levels. It’s as simple as inserting a garden fork and moving it around the soil, in order to break up any hard clusters. If you are looking to aerate on a larger scale, a local landscaping company can help.

Get Mowing – Cool season grass species like tall fescue, rye and bluegrass should be mowed shorter to let warmth into the thatch, especially in shaded areas.  For warm season grasses that grow with runners, it’s best not to cut too close during cooler months. This higher mowing level will protect the plant to some degree from frost, and will help the turf bounce back in spring. 

Encourage Sunshine – Heading into the cooler months often means less sunlight for your lawn. As such, it’s a good idea to regularly prune any trees, bushes, and other foliage to allow as much access as possible. Be sure to regularly clean up any debris or falling leaves from your lawn so that they don’t prevent sunlight getting through to the grass.

Watering Schedule – For the most basic form of autumn lawn care, be sure to water it once or twice a week. Moist soil has an insulating effect, which radiates heat upward come nightfall. Although it may defy logic on the surface, keeping soil damp via a morning soaking actually helps to protect them from the cold. 

Feed Your Grass – To ensure your lawn is in shape before the winter frosts arrive and minimise the chance of any weeds taking hold, be sure to fertlise your lawn in autumn. If you’re not a fan of the chemical based options, consider trying an organic and chemical free plant probiotic like Biotic Booster for a safer alternative. 

Before winter arrives in full force, it’s also a good idea to tackle any weeds that have gotten comfortable in your lawn. If you’re not a fan of handpicking them out, then many gardeners turn to pesticides as a means to blast them out. However, if that’s not your style and you prefer a more environmentally friendly alternative, then the good news is that we’ve got a solution. 

Unfortunately, if the damage is already done and you’ve missed the prevention boat, then it’s time to source a weed killer for lawns. However, many people make the mistake of accidentally burning or damaging the grass that they are actually trying to protect – so how do you get it right?  

Using An Eco Friendly Weed Killer For Lawns

It’s important not to undo all of your hard work that’s been put into getting your lawn fluffy and green. While it can be hard to know which chemical-based weed killers may also damage your turf, your pets or even your family, the good news is that there is a safer alternative now on the market. 

In comparison, a glyphosate-free weed killer like Bioweed is a safe way to keep them under control. As a non-residual solution, it will break down into the soil in as little as 72 hours and can combat over 200 invasive weed species. It is important to remember that Bioweed is a non selective weed killer so spot spraying is required. The best part? It’s not just exclusive to lawns, and can be used to defend your garden or even pastures against a large variety of foreign invaders. With a team of highly experienced plant and gardening enthusiasts, the team at Bioweed are armed with a wealth of knowledge, tips and tricks that can help you to get your lawn and garden looking their very best. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us if you’re looking for further organic gardening solutions.