Your Fall Lawn Care Guide

A thicker, healthier lawn next spring begins in Fall! With a few simple steps, you can enjoy a better, greener lawn in as little as 2 weeks. Best of all? Giving your lawn the attention it needs now will help it to to build strong, deep roots to protect it through the winter. This means your grass can return stronger and more resilient next spring.

Step 1: Damage Control

Summer can be rough on a lawn. Dead areas can be left behind by temporary furniture or items like kiddie pools or sandboxes. Damage is often caused by high traffic, drought, grubs or pets. Patch repair products like Scotts® EZ Seed® Patch & Repair or Scotts® Lawn Response 9-1-1™ Lawn Repair make repairing easy. They combine seed, mulch and fertilizer together for a quick and easy application to weak or damaged areas. These products are easy to apply, and make a big difference in your lawn’s appearance!

This is also a good time to address weeds by removing them manually, or using a weed control product like Scotts® Weed B Gon® MAX. 

Step 2: Rake Away…

To make sure seeding (our next step!) is successful, seeds need to be able to make contact with the soil. Give the lawn a thorough raking using a flexible lawn & leaf rake to remove dead material and debris, and expose the soil surface. For maximum repair and best germination, add a layer of lawn soil and rake in. Then, you’re ready to seed!

Step 3: Time to Seed!

Why apply seed in the Fall? With warm soil and more reliable rainfall, seeds can germinate more quickly and easily than at any other time of year! To keep your lawn thick and lush, try to “overseed” yearly. (Overseeding is applying seed to an existing lawn.) Filling in weak or bare spots with grass seed helps to ensure that that space isn’t taken up by weeds instead. Use a good quality turf seed blend that’s suited to the conditions of your yard, and apply with a spreader.

Step 4: Water Wisely

New seeds need to be kept moist at all times in order to germinate. The rainfall of the season can be helpful with this and reduces your water use! On dry or sunny days, keep the soil damp by watering the lawn in the morning each day, until you can see new grass growing well.

Step 5: Feed In Fall

A greener lawn next spring is the result of healthy root growth right now. Feeding your lawn in the late summer and early fall provides the nutrients lawns need to repair damage from the heat, drought, and activity from the summer. It also helps to build strong, deep roots to protect your lawn through the winter, which helps it to return stronger next spring. Choose a lawn food with plenty of nitrogen, like Scotts® Turf Builder® Green MAX, or a fall-focused formula like Scotts® Turf Builder® Fall Lawn Food. Apply fertilizer with a spreader for even, easy application.

Step 6: Mow & Mulch

That’s right, leave those leaves! Use a mulching setting on your mower, and chop fallen leaves into dime-sized pieces on the lawn. This leaf mulch breaks down through the late fall and winter. This improves the soil and returns nutrients to the lawn. It’s much easier than raking and bagging, too!

If your lawn doesn’t get any leaf cover, or you prefer a raked-and-tidy appearance, you can get the same natural nutrient boost with Scotts® Soil Build’R™ Spreadable Top Dress For Lawns. This unique product is a special blend of humic acid, biochar, and leaf compost, along with organic matter to encourage water and nutrient retention, reduce soil compaction, and increase beneficial microbial activity. It’s “a happiness booster” for your lawn!