Your lawn’s biggest ally this fall will be air circulation in your soil. The process of aeration is important, especially this time of year as the temperatures begin to drop. Fall becomes the ideal time to prepare your lawn for the next growing season. Once the airways are clear through the aeration process, it allows the compacted soil to make way for the moisture and nutrients to reach the grassroots, promoting a healthy root network.
The most widespread reason to aerate is to loosen the thick layer of thatch and break down any compaction on the soil’s surface beneath the leafy foliage. This will help ensure the fertilizer you are putting down is reaching those roots.
Along with aeration, fall is the best time for overseeding as well. If you had any areas of lawn thin out this summer from the numerous stresses it was exposed to, now is the best time for seeding. Fall is the best time to get the lawn thick and lush again so it can establish itself before winter. It’s important to get these thin areas thickened up or weeds will quickly fill in next spring and summer.
In combination with aeration and overseeding should be your next application of fertilizer and your lime application. Just remember if you are seeding to use a balanced fertilizer to help the seeding along. Lime should be applied based on soil test results. Both of these will incorporate into the soil better since you just created all those open spaces for nutrients to travel!
