Your Essential Autumn Lawn Care Guide

Your lawn is often the highlight of your entire garden, and keeping it in top condition is likely to be a priority.

As the summer begins to bid farewell and the autumn nights start to draw in, it’s important to spend some time thinking about autumn lawn care.

In this article, R&J Landscapes (London) will outline some great autumn lawn care tips that can help keep your grass looking luscious this season. 

Scarify your lawn

Autumn is a great time to scarify your lawn, removing any thatch (such as old grass clippings, moss and other debris) that may have built up during the summer.

The purpose of this is to help your lawn grow more evenly, to receive the nutrients it needs and allow water to better access the soil.

Simply grab a rake and vigorously go over the lawn, removing as much loose thatch as possible. Then dispose of this thatch in compost heaps or garden waste bins. 

Don’t worry if the lawn looks a bit patchy afterwards, it will recover quickly and look better in the long term. 

Aerate the lawn

Aerating a lawn is one of the main things you should consider during the autumn months.

This process involves using a garden fork to spike the lawn, creating 10-15cm holes across the garden. This will help the lawn access more air, nutrients and water and will ensure it can better cope with extreme conditions, such as waterlogging, which may be more common in autumn.  

Trim back the lawn and bed edges 

It’s normal for lawns to get a bit overgrown in the summer, especially if you haven’t stayed on top of mowing. Therefore, autumn is the perfect time of year to trim it back. 

Use lawn scissors to cut around the perimeter of the lawn, collecting the trimmings as you go to dispose of them. 

Feed the lawn

It’s important to feed your lawn in autumn to ensure it has all the nutrients it needs for the roots to grow during the cold, winter months ahead. There is a wide range of autumn lawn care products and fertilisers that you can purchase from local garden centres and hardware stores but it is important to select the right type for your lawn. Some artificial fertilisers can be damaging to the environment so be sure to read the manufacturer’s instructions before applying to your grass.

Fork compacted areas

It’s likely that your lawn will get much more use during the summer months, and this heavy foot traffic can cause the grass to become compacted. You will need to use a fork to break up compacted areas, as this will help your lawn’s drainage when the autumn rain inevitably begins to pour. 

Push the fork four to six inches into the ground as you do this, as this will allow for proper aeration and drainage. 

If you need any advice on autumn lawn care, R&J Landscapes (London) is here to help. For more than 30 years we’ve provided leading landscaping services to customers across Watford, Harrow and beyond and this includes quality turfing and garden services. For more information, contact our expert team today.