If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all the lawn care tasks you have to handle, you’re not alone. Lawn care is overwhelming and you might be worried about making lawn care mistakes that could give you trouble. The frustrating thing is that when lawn care mistakes are made, they really can be a big setback.
Different seasons can bring the possibility for different mistakes. In this article, we’ll talk about some of the common fall lawn care mistakes that you’ll want to try and avoid.
We understand what a huge frustration those falling leaves can be. A big part of lawn care for fall is leaf and debris cleanup. Of course, if you’re like a lot of people, you probably feel like these tasks are mostly aesthetic in nature. While it’s certainly true that picking leaves and debris off your lawn will make it look nicer, there’s more to it than that.
Cleaning up leaves and debris as part of grass care in fall is important because it allows your lawn to keep breathing.
When leaf fall is light, mowing those leaves into your lawn is preferable! Your lawn appreciates the extra organic matter.
However, when leaf fall is heavy enough to cover your lawn completely, it’s time to rake or blow those leaves. Allowing leaves to pile up across your lawn is almost like putting a big blanket over it. This is a problem because it is preventing sunlight, water, and of course, oxygen from reaching your lawn.
If you’re having lawn services performed on your lawn, leaves and debris can also be a hindrance to these. If it's a heavy leaf cover, fertilizer and other products might not be reaching your lawn because they’re just sitting on the leaves!
Finally, you should also keep in mind that leaf cover is a preferred hiding spot for pests. If you continually have a lot of leaves and debris in your yard, it could be an invitation for pests.
In Louisville, KY grass is still growing in the fall so it’s important to keep up with mowing. But as your fall weekends get busy, a common lawn care mistake is to let mowing “go” for too long. The trouble is, the longer that your grass is, the more traumatic the cut is to its health.
We know that it can be hard to keep up with weekly mowing when your fall is getting really busy, but grass care in the fall does mean keeping up with this important task. People don’t always realize that mowing is actually stressful for the lawn. You are making cuts (which is stressful for any plant). But the less that you cut, the less traumatic it will be.
We advise cutting no more than one-third of the grass blades at a time, even when the lawn is long. This is the optimal cut for your lawn to recover.
October is a great month to move to a “once a week” schedule for your mowing, but we don’t recommend anything less until later into December. This will also have the added benefit of mulching a light leaf cover to reduce your need to blow or rake your leaves.
Other mowing mistakes include mowing with a dull blade or an unlevel mowing deck. These are two other ways to put lots of unnecessary stress on the turf. You want a nice, clean, crisp cut.
Ideally, also try to avoid mowing the lawn when wet as it can leave ruts.
We know it’s a lot to remember, but we really do want to help set you up for success. Mowing is one of those things that can have a tremendous impact on your lawn care results and we want you to be happy. Sometimes homeowners see a yellowing lawn and they assume it’s a fertilizer error when in reality it’s a mowing mistake.
If you ever have questions, we want you to ask. We’ll be here to help set you up with guidelines for the best results.
Fertilization should also be part of your fall lawn care schedule. But it’s not uncommon for Louisville homeowners to skip over a late-season fertilization application. The grass is about to go into dormancy so why does it really matter?
Actually, that late-season application is one of the most critical, and skipping it is definitely a lawn care mistake.
The last lawn fertilization application of the season will actually help set your lawn up for success before going into dormancy. It will provide that final boost of nutrients that ends up being really vital for standing up to winter conditions.
Late-season fertilization will also help your lawn as it “greens up” next spring. For that reason, it could be argued that this final application is the most important of them all!
Weeds are a nuisance any time of the year and it’s no different in the fall. In fact, each season has its own set of weeds to contend with! There’s a whole new set of weeds that have to be dealt with in the fall (different from what you might have been dealing with in the spring and summer).
That’s why it’s a lawn care mistake to stop focusing on weed control come fall. This is not a time to become complacent in the fight against weeds.
It’s important to partner with a lawn care pro that is going to use different weed controls at different times of the year. Having a well-stocked weed control arsenal will help ensure that your lawn continues to look its best no matter what the season!
We get it…there’s a lot to grass care in the fall. In fact, there’s a lot to lawn care year-round!
You’re likely busier than ever and you might be ready to stop worrying about your lawn as fall rolls around. But it’s important to keep up with the tasks that you handle on your own (like leaf cleanup and mowing properly) if you want your lawn to continue to perform its best.
As far as tasks like fertilization and weed control, those are best handed over to a pro who can ensure they’re done properly and on the optimal schedule. The right pro will also set you up with tips (like the ones we’ve shared) to help you avoid lawn care mistakes.
At the end of the day, the best lawns are typically achieved when the pro and the homeowner partner together for success.
At Limbwalker, we want to see your lawn thrive year-round, which is why we are here to help. In addition to taking over many of your lawn care services, you’ll also have access to our professional expertise on tasks that you handle like mowing. We want you to feel confident that your lawn is getting everything it needs.
When it is, you can truly enjoy it to the fullest!
Are you ready to have a thick and healthy lawn that’s getting everything it needs at your Louisville, KY home? Get in touch with us to get a quote for our lawn care programs, which include three lawn care pricing options.