Spring and Fall Lawn Care – What is the Difference?

A lawn is a thing of beauty when it’s maintained in the right way. It’s a great place to spend time relaxing at weekends and it can help add value to a property as it improves the overall look of the landscape. However, if a lawn is not cared for in the right way, it can start to look lackluster and it may even start to die.

If you want to share in the dream of many Americans, and have a lawn to be proud of, you need to understand what care should be provided. Spring and fall are both times when important lawn care needs to be carried out, but what is the difference between the work that needs to be done during these seasons?

• Lawn care in spring

The main reason for a spring lawn care routine is to prepare the grass for successful growing during the summer months. Any debris that has fallen during the winter needs to be cleared away, so that growth can happen unimpeded.

Spring is also the time when mowing needs to start again. Once the grass is at its healthy height (usually between 1.5 and 2.5 inches), you should mow as often as is needed to maintain that height.

If you are using a fertilizer on your lawn, it should be one that is best suited to spring. This usually means choosing a slow release product that produces ongoing nutrients as the grass grows throughout the coming weeks.

• Lawn care in fall

Some aspects of fall lawn care are similar to the work carried out in spring, according to Wikilawn.com. The lawn should be cleared of debris and protected from falling leaves as much as possible. This is also a time of year when fertilizer can be applied. However, a fast release fertilizer is the best choice at this time of year. The quick release of nutrients helps to strength the roots of the grass, for survival while the lawn is dormant.

Late summer and early fall are also the best time to re-seed bare patches of lawn, and to deal with issues affecting the quality of the lawn. For instance, it’s a good time to remove any thatch that has built up. Dealing with this type of maintenance during fall means that you can concentrate on promoting lawn growth once spring arrives.

This is the main difference between spring lawn care and fall lawn care. In spring, you are making sure that the lawn grows as well as possible over the summer. In fall, you are making sure the lawn is prepared for a dormant winter and in the best possible condition to make spring lawn care successful when the time comes. It’s not all about spring and fall either, while a lawn is growing it needs to be properly maintained. This means that you need to mow the lawn regularly and water it on average 2-3 times a week, making sure that you water deeply in order to promote root growth.