When summer ends and temperatures start to fall, many people allow the subject of their yard to start sliding down their list of priorities. But nature takes a longer view, and the cyclical nature of plant life means that the care that a yard receives in autumn has a disproportionate impact on its health and resilience the following spring. Consistent treatments year-round by a professional lawn care company like Arbor-Nomics will pay off as a lusher, greener lawn next spring.
Do Your Part
Your best move is maintaining your regular lawn care regimen until the ground freezes.
– Stop leaves from building up by regularly using a leaf blower or a mulching mower.
– Continue mowing at the optimal height for your grass type.
– Keep making sure that your lawn receives one inch of water per week from a combination of rainfall, hose, and sprinkler.
These steps will ensure that your lawn is primed to receive the maximum benefit from fall treatments.
The Most Important Meal of the Year
That’s how most lawn care professionals would describe fall fertilization. Summers are tough on lawns in our region, and fall is the season for grass to regroup so it doesn’t enter dormancy in a weakened state. Fertilizers administered at this time of year are usually high in nitrogen, which plays an important role in plant growth. But that’s not it’s only benefit – nitrogen also helps plants convert other nutrients into energy.
Time-release formulas both ensure that grass enters dormancy in good shape and keep roots strong in cold conditions. As a result, you’ll see your grass “green up” earlier in the spring than it otherwise would. If grass doesn’t get a steady supply of nitrogen over the winter, the amount of the element it will absorb in the spring can shock it into a burst of rapidly growing but weak shoots.
Stop Spring Weeds Before They Can Start
The second major component of fall lawn treatments is some combination of pre-emergent herbicides that will form a protective layer within soil. When the ground starts to warm up in spring, weed seeds will start to germinate. When they reach the layer of herbicide, its chemicals will interfere with the processes of enzyme production and cell division through which a seed becomes a seedling. Unable to grow, the weed seed dies.
From this description, you can infer that pre-emergents have no effect on weeds that have already germinated. Thus, timing their application is important to achieve the desired effects in spring.
If you have questions about fall lawn treatments, year-long application programs, or any other subject related to lawn care, an experienced lawn service company like Arbor-Nomics can answer them. Arbor-Nomics is a lawn service company that provides specialized lawn care services in Roswell, Alpharetta, Atlanta, Marietta, and all nearby cities in the metro Atlanta area. In addition to weed control, we provide lawn fertilization, outdoor pest control, and much, much more. Our Certified Landscape Specialists are ready to help with all of your lawn service needs.