Fall lawn care sets the stage for a healthy spring lawn. This comprehensive checklist covers 10 essential tasks, from proper mowing techniques to soil testing, with specific guidelines for both cool-season and warm-season grasses.
Mow Until Grass Stops Growing
Continue mowing your lawn until growth stops for the season. Follow the same good mowing practices you do through the rest of the season.
- Cool-season grasses (Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, fine fescue) grow until air temperature drops below 40 or 42 degrees Fahrenheit (typically October). Mow at the recommended height through the fall, and for the final cut of the season, lower the height to 2 or 2.5 inches.
- Warm-season grasses (St. Augustine, bahiagrass, Bermuda, Zoysia) go dormant when air temperatures drop below 60 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit (typically in November). Mow them at the recommended height until they go dormant, and then make the final cut about one-half inch longer to protect crowns from cold damage.
In the southernmost regions of the U.S., you may have to mow periodically through the winter, as grass growth doesn’t completely stop.
| Cool-Season Grasses | Recommended Mowing Height |
| Kentucky Bluegrass | 2.5 to 3.5 inches |
| Tall Fescue | 2 to 3 inches |
| Fine Fescue | 2 to 3 inches |
| Perennial Ryegrass | 1.5 to 2.5 inches |
| Warm-Season Grasses | Recommended Mowing Height |
| Bahiagrass | 3 to 4 inches |
| Common Bermudagrass | 1.5 to 2.5 inches |
| Hybrid Bermudagrass | 0.5 to 1.5 inches |
| Buffalograss | 2 to 3 inches |
| Carpetgrass | 0.75 to 2 inches |
| Centipedegrass | 1 to 2 inches |
| St. Augustine | 2.5 to 3 inches |
| Zoysiagrass | 1 to 2 inches |
Manage Falling Leaves
Fall leaves look pretty as they carpet your lawn in reds, yellows, and oranges, but a thick blanket of leaves through winter blocks the sunlight and creates perfect conditions for fungal lawn diseases.
Tip: Before I go further, it’s important to note that a light layer of leaves can be beneficial for your grass since it acts as a natural mulch; anything over half an inch thick needs attention. Also, while both warm-season and cool-season grasses suffer under thick leaves, cool-season varieties are particularly vulnerable to snow mold and other fungal problems.
During peak fall season, rake leaves or mulch-mow them weekly. If you choose to mulch them with your mower, make sure they’re dry and chop them into small pieces that fall between the grass blades. Keep in mind the one-third rule (not the one-third mowing rule): if you can’t see one-third of the grass through the leaves, it’s time to clean up. And always remove wet, matted leaves.
| If leaves have blanketed your turf, call one of LawnStarter’s leaf removal pros to make quick work of the leaves in your lawn for about $158 per service. Our pros completed nearly 12,000 leaf removal jobs last year and earned a 4.3 rating from homeowners like you. |
See Related:
- What Happens If You Don’t Remove Fallen Leaves
- What to Do With Fallen Leaves
- Is It Better to Rake or Mulch Leaves?
Treat and Control Weeds
Fall is a great time to tackle perennial weeds, as they are actively storing energy in their roots. Therefore, when you apply herbicide, it’s more likely to be absorbed into the roots and be effective.
My Tip: Be judicious with chemical weed control in warm-season lawns. These grasses have a limited ability to recover from potential damage since they aren’t growing as much in the fall as cool-season types.
Apply post-emergent herbicides like 2,4-D to target dandelions, clover, and other broadleaf weeds. Spot treatment is better than broadcasting with a lawn spreader. You can also apply a pre-emergent herbicide to prevent annual weeds like henbit and chickweed.
See Related:
- 7 Best Pre-Emergent Herbicides for Lawns
- How to Apply Pre-Emergent Herbicides
- 8 Best Post-Emergent Herbicides
- Applying Post-Emergent Herbicides to Your Lawn
Remove Excess Thatch
Lawns benefit from dethatching when the thatch layer exceeds half an inch, as excessive buildup prevents water and nutrients from reaching roots. Thatch removal timing, or dethatching, varies significantly between grass types.
- Cool-season grasses should be dethatched in early fall — late August through September — when they’re still actively growing and can recover before winter dormancy.
- Warm-season grasses should be dethatched in late spring to early summer when they’re in peak growing condition. A light dethatching can be done in early fall if absolutely necessary.
Use a power rake for small areas or rent a dethatcher for larger lawns. Leave about one-quarter of an inch of thatch to help retain soil moisture and provide cushioning.
It’s normal for your lawn to look a little rough after dethatching. It should bounce back within 2 to 4 weeks. If need be, follow up with overseeding and fertilization to help fill in any thin or bare spots.
See Related:
- 5 Signs Your Lawn Has Too Much Thatch
- Top 10 Benefits of Dethatching the Lawn
- What to Do After Dethatching Your Lawn
- How to Prevent Thatch in Your Lawn
Aerate Compacted Soil
Soil aeration helps to break up soil compaction, letting water and nutrients reach the roots. Push a screwdriver into the ground to check for soil compaction. If it requires significant force, it needs aeration. Other signs it needs to be aerated include water pooling on the surface, heavy thatch buildup, and poor grass growth despite proper care.
Aeration timing and techniques are different between grass types. The key is to time it with the most prolific growth.
- Aerate cool-season lawns from September through November. This timing takes advantage of fall moisture and moderate temperatures, which drive growth. Aerate heavily used lawns yearly, and moderate traffic areas every 2 to 3 years.
- Warm-season grasses should be aerated in late spring through early summer, not fall.
Core aeration is recommended over spike aeration, since it removes soil cores rather than simply poking holes and further compacting soil. Aerate when the soil is moist but not waterlogged.
Focus on high-traffic areas, clay soils, and anywhere water pools. Leave the soil cores on the surface. They’ll break down naturally and help improve soil structure.
See Related:
- Why Should You Aerate Your Lawn?
- How Much Does Lawn Aeration Cost?
- Liquid Aeration vs. Core Aeration: What’s the Difference?
- Aeration vs Dethatching: What’s the Difference?
Overseed
Overseeding timing also varies between grass types.
- Cool-season grasses are great candidates for fall overseeding. The ideal window is late August through mid-October. Soil temperatures are still warm enough for germination, and cooler air temps reduce stress on new seedlings.
- Warm-season grasses should not be overseeded in the fall, unless you are planting cool-season varieties for winter color. The soil temperatures are too cold now for warm-season types.
Apply seed at the recommended label rate, ensuring good seed-to-soil contact. Water lightly and frequently until germination occurs. Then transition to deeper, less frequent watering. Avoid heavy foot traffic on newly seeded areas for 6 to 8 weeks.
See Related:
- How to Overseed a Lawn in 8 Simple Steps
- 5 Clear Signs You Need to Overseed Your Lawn
- Overseeding vs. Reseeding: What’s Best For Your Lawn?
- Can You Fertilize and Overseed at the Same Time? (3 Reasons Not To)
Test Your Soil
Before you put down a fall fertilizer, it’s essential to take the time and test the soil.
Fall soil testing provides valuable information that you can use to build the coming year’s lawn care program. You can use the nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium results to help tailor a fertilizer program to the needs of your grass and prevent over-application. Plus, fall testing gives lime or sulfur amendments time to adjust soil pH before spring.
Collect soil samples from multiple locations across your lawn (sample 4 to 6 inches deep for established lawns), mixing them for a representative sample. Then use an at-home kit, or send the sample to a professional lab for analysis.
My Tip: If you’re testing the soil yourself, contact your local cooperative Extension office and talk to an Extension educator. They can help guide you through the ideal soil pH for your grass type and calculate fertilizer rates based on your results.
See Related:
- How to Read a Soil Test Report
- Lime for Lawns: Why, When, and How to Lime a Lawn
- How Soil pH Affects Lawn Health
Apply a Fall Fertilizer for Strong Roots
Your fall fertilizer strategy is going to differ significantly depending on whether you have a cool-season or warm-season lawn, as the different grass types have very different needs.
My Tip: Regardless of your lawn, you want to make sure to apply fertilizer before winter dormancy. Once your grass stops growing, it won’t pull the nutrients into the roots and utilize them.
For all grasses, apply according to package directions, and water lightly after application to move the nutrients into the soil.
Cool-Season Grass Fertilization
Cool-season lawns like Kentucky bluegrass or perennial ryegrass benefit tremendously from a low-nitrogen, high-potassium fertilizer in October through November. A fertilizer number ratio of 5-10-5 or similar is a good option.
This “winterizer” fertilizer helps your grass store energy in the roots and crowns, improving its cold tolerance and promoting earlier green-up in the spring. The low nitrogen keeps your grass from having a growth spurt when it’s trying to slow down for the season; potassium strengthens cell walls to improve drought and cold tolerance.
Warm-Season Grass Fertilization
Warm-season lawns like Bermuda or bahiagrass benefit from a balanced fertilizer (N, P, and K are in similar amounts) in August through September. Avoid applying fertilizer in late fall as the nitrogen stimulates new growth that is vulnerable to frost.
| Hire a LawnStarter fertilizer pro to take fertilization off your busy fall to-do list for about $103 per service. They completed nearly 40,000 jobs last year, earning a 4.4 rating from our customers. |
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Adjust Lawn Watering
It’s necessary to adjust how you water in the fall, but exactly how you change depends on your lawn type.
Watering basics:
- Water deeply and less frequently
- Let rainfall take over
- Water less as grass growth slows
- Time the last watering before frost or freeze
Instead of following a rigid irrigation schedule, monitor the soil moisture, as fall weather can be unpredictable.
Cool-Season Lawn Watering
Cool-season turfs remain active longer into fall than their warm-season counterparts, so you’ll need to water them longer. Especially if you’ve overseeded or are experiencing dry conditions, remember, they do most of their growing when temperatures are cooler.
Stop regular irrigation once soil temperatures consistently stay below 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
My Tip: If you live in an area with harsh winters, watch the forecast, and give your lawn one last hearty drink before the ground freezes.
Warm-Season Lawn Watering
Warm-season lawns go dormant earlier in the season, so you’ll begin reducing water needs sooner. Gradually decrease frequency in early fall, allowing the grass to harden off for winter.
Once you see signs of dormancy (e.g., browning), stop watering entirely unless you’re facing drought conditions. Then water once a month to keep the crowns and roots from drying out too much.
Winterize Sprinklers in Northern Regions
While not a task specifically geared toward the grass, you’ll also want to prep your sprinkler system for winter if you live in an area that experiences freezing temperatures.
Our sprinkler winterizing guide walks you through the steps, but the basic concept is to drain all the water out of your sprinklers to prevent freezing. As you know, water expands when it freezes and can crack or break lines, valves, or sprinkler heads, resulting in expensive sprinkler repairs.
FAQ About Fall Lawn Care
It’s generally recommended to leave clippings so they can provide nitrogen and organic matter for your lawn and the soil. Mulching mowers typically chop clippings small enough that they decompose quickly. However, bag them if the grass is excessively long (remember to follow the one-third rule, though), diseased, or wet.
My Experience: I always bag the clippings on the last mowing of the season. I’ve seen fewer problems with snow mold in the spring when I don’t leave clippings as we go into winter.
To help your scalped grass recover, you’ll want to water it deeply and minimize foot traffic across it. Hold off on fertilizing until you see new growth.
Since cool-season grasses grow more in the fall, they may recover before going dormant for the winter. Warm-season lawns might not recover until the following spring.
Yes, but the timing for applying weed and feed is dependent on your grass type. The grass needs to be actively growing, and not starting to go dormant for the winter.
• In northern regions, apply to cool-season grass from late August to mid-October.
• In the transition zone, apply to cool-season lawns mid-September to early November. Apply to warm-season grass in September before it goes dormant.
• In southern regions, apply to warm-season lawns September through early October.
See Related:
• How to Weed and Feed Your Lawn
• When to Water After Applying Weed and Feed
• 7 Best Weed and Feed Products
• Corn Gluten Meal: All Natural Weed and Feed?
Need Help Getting Your Fall Lawn Care Done?
Fall lawn care can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to tackle it alone. Whether you need help with aeration, leaf removal, mowing, or the entire checklist, LawnStarter connects you with trusted local lawn care professionals who know your grass type and climate. Get matched with qualified pros in your area and enjoy a healthier lawn come spring.
Main Image: Fallen dry leaves on green grass. Image Credit: Kirill Gorlov / Adobe Stock
