The lawn is a treasured part of the American landscape and millions of homeowners either struggle with theirs or achieve great success. Working with lawns can be challenging, and it takes much more than just mowing and watering. The thousands of plants that make up your lawn require diligent care, and often professional expertise. As you decide which lawn care professional to work with, you’ll be sure to have some questions. What can you expect with expert fall lawn care in Trenton and Woodhaven, MI?
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Late Summer Assessment
As the growing season winds down, it’s time for your lawn care professional to pay a visit to your home and assess how the lawn fared throughout the summer. First, they will look for visible damage including diseased and dead grass. They will also look for areas of overgrowth. This assessment will indicate what needs to be done to prepare for the winter season.
Laying Down Fresh Sod
Starting a lawn from grass seed can be extremely difficult and yield unpredictable results. A lawn care professional will mitigate this by applying sod that has been expertly grown in controlled conditions. The plants will be mature and strong at this point and will begin to spread their roots into your soil if planted in late summer or early fall. Laying down fresh sod will replace any dead or diseased grass that won’t make it through the winter - giving your lawn a fresh, head start in spring.
Getting Rid of Weeds
The biggest scourge of any lawn is the propagation of weeds. Many varieties of invasive plants take advantage of any opportunity. Since they grow much faster than grass and spread their seeds after summer ends, your lawn care professionals will apply weed killer to your lawn as a preventive measure. This will allow your grass to fill the gaps as necessary and take any water and nutrients that would otherwise go to unsightly and potentially harmful weeds.
Mowing Until Growth Stops
Grass continues growing as long as the weather permits and the ground isn’t frozen. This means that your lawn will continue growing often until mid October. Your lawn care professionals will make sure to stay on top of mowing throughout the growing season and especially as the cooler weather sets in. Neglecting to mow the lawn at this stage could result in damaged grass.
Aeration and Fertilizer
Your lawn’s best chance at survival through the winter will be with access to nutrients, water, and oxygen. Aeration is a lawn care tactic that opens up the soil, which is especially important after the sun has baked the ground for an entire summer and the soil has been trampled by heavy activity. Once the soil is ready, a lawn care professional will apply fertilizer so that your grass gets what it needs directly to its root systems.
Debris Removal
It’s extremely important during the fall season to stay on top of debris removal. As leaves fall, they pile up and start decomposing. A layer of leaves may look nice when it’s dry but as soon as those leaves start to rot, they may quickly suffocate and kill your grass. Lawn care professionals will stay on top of debris removal frequently throughout the fall season. Make sure to have them mulch the leaf debris. These small particles decompose quickly and add needed nutrients to your lawn.