Whether your lawn thrives until the end of September or gives up and dies by July has a lot to do with what you’re doing right now. While most Calgarians think of spring and summer as the most important times for lawn care, there’s actually a lot of work that needs to be done in fall in order to help your lawn succeed against weeds and drought. All of these things can be done by a homeowner, although they do take time and effort. And if spending hours working on your yard isn’t your idea of fun, we’re here to help!

Aeration is one of the best ways to help your lawn thrive come next spring. Aerating pulls out plugs of dirt, helping compressed soil to loosen up. This allows more oxygen, water, and nutrients deeper in the dirt where your grass needs it most. If your yard is typically healthy and in good shape, you only need to aerate once a year, and we’d recommend doing it in spring. But if your lawn hasn’t been meeting your expectations, or you just want to give it a head start come spring, aerating again in fall is well worth it.

Fertilize & Seed.

A common mistake many Albertans make is believing that fertilizing in spring is the most important. We actually find that the fertilizing in fall has the most benefit to your lawn. Once the grass has stopped growing, it starts putting a lot of energy into root growth. Your grass needs lots of water and nutrients to survive the winter, which is why fertilizing in fall helps your lawn flourish in spring. Make sure you wait long enough that the grass really has stopped growing. The third week of September or when you no longer need to mow every week should be about right. Pay extra attention to bare or weak patches. You may want to add fresh topsoil or garden mix as well. Finally, sprinkle new seeds on any areas that need a little extra help. Don’t forget to water!

Mulching Leaves.

There are few autumn chores that Calgarians dislike quite as much as raking up all the leaves and stuffing them in bags. It’s laborious, boring, and time consuming. We have an easy solution — don’t rake up all the leaves and stuff them in bags. Instead, just keep mowing the lawn into October. You’ll likely only need to mow once or twice after you fertilize the third week of September, so if you want to cut your lawn extra short for the winter (2 inches is typical) in order to prevent fungal infestation, you should start slowly cutting it shorter before now. As you mow over the leaves, they get chewed up and turned into a fantastic natural fertilizer and insulator. While a pile of leaves on your lawn just increases your yard’s chance for a bug infestation or disease, an inch of mulched leaves evenly covering your yard does a lot of good. Keep in mind that more than an inch of mulched leaves may begin to smother the lawn, so you may need to still bag some leaves if you have a ton of trees.

Here at Five Star Landscaping, we love giving Calgarians the information they need to make their yards beautiful. If you have the time and energy to make your yard look great without our help, we’re happy to give you the tips you need to succeed. But many Calgarians who want a great yard are too busy with their family life or professional life to give their lawn the time and care it needs to be beautiful. That’s where our team of expert Calgary landscapers come in. Realized that you’re behind schedule for your fall lawn chores? Five Star Landscaping can help! Give us a call today, and we’ll squeeze you in before winter settles for good.