Late Fall Lawn Tips

Late Fall Lawn Tips

Every year at this time, customers ask me how long should I cut my grass down to?  Below I will answer that question and provide some Late Fall Lawn Tips for Cincinnati and Dayton.

The weather is gradually moving closer to Winter conditions.  We have had a couple frost alerts during the night and temperatures during the day are in the 40’s and 50’s.  This is not the time to forget about your lawn.  Everything is going down to the root system for the Winter.  This is the best time to feed the roots directly to make your lawn stronger.  Also, this is an ideal time to get a more permanent kill on weeds according to Ohio State Turfgrass Research.  So before you watch the big Bengals v.s. Browns game tonight make sure to follow these late fall lawn tips:

1)  Mow the Lawn to 2 Inches – We suggest mowing your lawn high (3-4 inches) throughout the entire season until Late Fall.  We recommend gradually moving your cutting length on the lawn down to 2 inches.  We emphasize gradually!  Do not chop it down from 4 inches to 2 inches.  This will stunt root growth and cause your lawn to look brown.  As the grass stops growing it should be 2 inches going into the Winter.  This helps protect against Winter Lawn Diseases in Cincinnati and Dayton like snow mold.

2)  Clean up your Leaves – I see this every year.  It is close to the holiday season and you are busy buying a Micro Touch and a Snuggy for your in laws.  Take the time to clean up your leaves.  All the work put in throughout the year can be ruined by one lazy decision.  Those leaves can kill grass just like large clumps of grass can.  They suffocate the grass to death.  The best way of cleaning them up is mulching them up into tiny pieces.  This recycles nutrients for the grass and adds organic matter to the soil.  If the leaf coverage is too heavy for a double cut with your mulching mower – then rake them up.

3)  Feed the Roots – The grass isn’t growing much.  Lawn chores have slowed down.  The Browns are thinking about who they will draft the next season.  Wait they are playing relevant games in week 10 of the NFL Football Season?  Lebron is back in Cleveland?  It has been a good year so far for Ohio sports and lawns.  Why would I put a fertilizer treatment on this late in the fall?  This is the equivalent of a protein shake after a workout for your lawn.  The top growth has slowed, but the root growth hasn’t slowed down going into the Winter.  It is storing up carbohydrates to make it through the Winter.  You can directly feed the roots right now with a high quality Late Fall Fertilizer Treatment.  Do not put it down when the soil is frozen.  This can cause the fertilizer to end up in the sewer drains and bodies of water.  Put it down in Late October-Early December for the best results.  This Late Fall Fertilizer Treatment can help with Winter color and even a quicker Spring Green Up.

Remember these three Late Fall Lawn Tips in Cincinnati and Dayton.  Your lawn will thank you next season.

 

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