4 Fall Lawn Care Tips For Virginia Beach, VA Homeowners

When you are living in a colder climate on the east coast like Virginia Beach, it is key to properly prepare your lawn for the harsh weather changes. Once fall has commenced around October, it is important to put your fall lawn care plan into motion to ensure that it is complete before the first freeze, hoping for it to be closer to December. Take a look below at the suggested steps that homeowners should be aware of when caring for their lawns this fall. Many of the steps that you take during the fall months will give your lawn a much better opportunity during the winter and the chances of getting a lush, green lawn in the summer just went up exponentially.

 Source: Flickr

1. Rake The Lawn

Before you do anything to your lawn, first you should rake your lawn so that it is free of all leaves and other debris. As Virginia Beach homeowners are aware, east coast autumns are known for foliage, and while it is gorgeous, it also leaves a lot of mess behind. Raking up those leaves as soon as they fall and continuing to do so afterward is a great way to keep up on your lawn maintenance.This way when you begin your fall lawn care process there won’t be anything littering your lawn and preventing any progress from being made.

2. Plan for A Final Fall Fertilization

While many homeowners usually fertilize their lawn at early Spring and sometimes in the Summer, if it isn’t too warm, but what most people don’t realize is that they should also be fertilizing in the fall before that real first freeze and possible snow is upon us, this is usually around November just around the time that the grass has stopped growing. There are particular fall fertilizers that may be purchased in local home and garden retailers. These particular fertilizers have different ingredients than other seasonal fertilizers. They usually consist of a higher amount of Potassium, helping the grass and roots of the lawn both healthy and protected from the winter temperatures that the Virginia Beach experiences. The roots will have more protection and a healthier environment to grow in this way.

3. Aeration

Aerating your lawn is a step in the fall lawn care process that many people neglect. Not on purpose though, many residential properties don’t have this serviced and they should because it refreshes your lawn. Aerating is a process that makes small holes in your lawn, pulling up the dirt allowing for air to come in, allowing your lawn to “breathe.” This gives the roots a chance to become even stronger and less susceptible to disease or winter damage. If you don’t own an aerator, you can rent one or hire a professional to have the service completed for you.

4. Overseed Your Lawn

As part of the aeration process of your lawn, you will also want to consider overseeding your lawn to help new growth form. This is especially important if you have dead spots or patches of grass that have suffered from drought or other extreme weather conditions throughout the warm summer months. By overseeding in the fall you give your lawn an even better chance at successful growth and better health when the winter is over. November is the ideal time to overseed, your lawn because although the temperature has fallen, the soil is still quite warm because the first freeze has yet to occur.

Need help transitioning your lawn care? Visit our Virginia Beach lawn care page for more information! 

Feature image source: Zillow