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.
1. 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.
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.
Tip: 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 1/2 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.
| 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. |
2. Mow Until Grass Stops Growing
Continue mowing your lawn until growth stops for the year. Follow the same good mowing practices you do through the rest of the season.
- Cool-season grasses (northern U.S.) grow until air temperature drops below 40 F or 42 F (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 (southern U.S.) go dormant when air temperatures drop below 60 F to 65 F (typically in November). Mow them at the recommended height until they go dormant, and then make the final cut about 1/2 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.
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.
| 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 |
See Related: Mowing Height Debate: Last Mow of the Season Low?
3. 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.
4. Remove Excess Thatch
Lawns benefit from dethatching when the thatch layer exceeds 1/2 inch, as excessive buildup prevents water and nutrients from reaching roots. The best time to dethatch your lawn 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 1/4 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.
5. 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.
See Related: How to Aerate Your Lawn
6. 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
7. 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 soil test 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
8. 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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9. 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 F.
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.
10. Winterize Sprinklers
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 with 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 repair costs.
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: Leaves on grass during autumn. Image Credit: Kirill Gorlov / Adobe Stock
