With a few simple steps you can put your lawn to bed knowing it will awaken healthy and super-charged for spring.

(ARA) – Summer is winding down and soon it will be time to drain the gas from the lawn mower and safely store the string trimmer. You may feel like summer yard work is done for another year. But don’t turn your back on your lawn just yet.

Take care of some essential lawn chores this fall and you’ll reap the rewards next spring – in the form of a lush, healthy, beautiful lawn. In fall, lawn grasses need to become especially strong as the weather cools. Give them some TLC now, and your lawn will reap the benefits over the winter and into next spring. During the fall, your lawn is getting ready to go dormant for the winter. Your grass will rely on its roots throughout the winter season to obtain nutrients until spring.

Following these five (surprisingly fast) simple steps will ensure a sensational start to lush lawns next spring.

1. Start with the soil and aerate

Healthy, aerated soil will make room for water, nutrients, air and roots to move with ease.

The healthier your soil is the healthier your grass will be. Good, aerated soil will make room for water, nutrients, air and roots to move with ease. Aerated, healthy soil will hold water like a sponge, but at the same time promote drainage. Aerating also creates a good environment for the micro-organisms, worms and other life forms necessary for healthy turf. Without good soil you will find yourself doing lots of weed control and over-fertilizing.

2. Don’t delay dethatching

Thatch is the layer of dead grass that settles in between the soil surface and the green foliage of the grass. Too much thatch interferes with nutrient and water absorption. To gauge thatch’s thickness, take a 6-inch-deep plug of sod and soil from the lawn and measure the thickness of the packed thatch. If your thatch layer is more than 1/2 inch thick, your grass will struggle to grow.

3. Supply soil conditioners

Also called soil amendments, soil conditioners added to soil improve plant growth and overall health. Soil conditioners are not fertilizers, but they do improve soil’s drainage and some will also increase the water holding capacity of your soil.

4. Sow your seeds

Sowing grass seed will increase turf density and improve the overall health and appearance of your lawn. Seeding in the fall helps the lawn recover from heavy summer traffic and it influences the lawn’s look for the following spring. A dense lawn is also the best natural defense against weed and insect damage. For a wide variety of grass seed choices specifically formulated for your geographic region visit www.outsidepride.com.

An increasingly popular addition to backyard beauty is planting wildflowers instead of grass in hard to maintain, problem spots, like slopes and banks. Outsidepride.com offers a wide variety of blends for nine areas of the country, from the rainy Northeast to the dry Southwest. Adding wildflower seed this fall to your backyard will add beauty and diversity to your landscape next spring.

5. The easy way is the better way

When it comes to labor intensive fall lawn chores like aerating, dethatching, and soil conditioning, brute force isn’t necessarily the best, most efficient way to get the job done. You could rent a core aerator to pull up finger-sized cores of soil, but it takes a strong back and plenty of time to manage the heavy equipment. If your lawn is small enough, you can do the dethatching job using a thick-bladed thatching rake. But bigger lawns call for a power thatching mower. Soil conditioning is easier, yet still time-consuming.

Try a labor-free, easy, all-natural option that’s a liquid product, like LazyMan Liquid Gold. You can tackle the tasks of aerating, dethatching and soil conditioning with a hose-end sprayer in a matter of minutes.

Non-toxic and all natural, LazyMan Liquid Gold’s polymers penetrate hard soil and alternately attract or repel water molecules, opening pathways to allow free passage of moisture and nutrients. A brew of microbes feeds on dead plant tissue in the thatch layer, reducing thatch by half with just three applications at four-week intervals. Finally, humic acids and soil fungi promote soil fertility and plant growth.

After one-step spraying of LazyMan Liquid Gold, you’ve already accomplished three essential fall lawn care tasks. Now, all that’s left to do is seed and feed.

By following these simple lawn care practices in the fall, you can put your lawn to bed and sleep easily knowing that when your lawn awakens from winter it will be healthy and super-charged for spring. To learn more about lawn care, visit www.outsidepride.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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Fixing some bare spots on the lawn or filling out thinning grass requires the right type of seed, a little know-how and the patience to, literally, watch grass grow.

“Even the most well-cared-for lawn can develop a bald patch here or there over the winter,” says John Marshall, manager of The Scotts Training Institute for The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company. “And if your turf has multiple bare spots or is just thin all over, proper seeding can be the solution for your lackluster lawn.”

Paying attention to four factors when seeding can help turn your lawn from flop to fabulous:

Timing is Everything

Many people wait until warm weather to turn a critical eye on their lawn, even though the very best time to seed is in the fall. But seeding can successfully spruce up your spring lawn — if you start early enough.

Even if you suspect your region may experience one or two more frosts before spring, go ahead and seed. “Cold will not hurt grass seed,” Marshall says. “Better to seed too early than too late.”

If you’re unsure of proper timing for your area, check with a local lawn expert or university extension program for advice.

Prepare the Ground

Failing to prepare the ground to receive seed is one of the top mistakes homeowners make, Marshall says. If you are seeding bare spots or dead areas, take a rake and scratch the spot until you see more dirt than dead grass. In order to take root, grass seeds must be in direct contact with soil.

If you’re overseeding an entire thin lawn, rent a core aerator or slit seeder and go over the lawn first in order to achieve the best possible seed/soil contact.

Choosing the Right Seed

Watering deeply and infrequently is the usual recommendation for an established lawn, but a newly seeded lawn requires more watering than usual because grass seed dies when it dries out.

In order to get the most out of your grass seed, opt for a seed, such as Scotts Turf Builder Grass Seed with Water Smart, that helps create a good looking lawn with less water. The seed is wrapped in a super absorbent coating that actually holds water to keep the seed moist even if a day of watering is missed. The coated seed will require water once a day and possibly even every other day depending on the climate where you live. Hotter regions may need more frequent watering.

Non-coated seed, by contrast, requires watering multiple times each day in order to keep the seed wet. “When grass seed dries, it dies,” Marshall says.

Caring for Your Grass Seedlings

Once your grass seedlings appear, some simple steps can help you care for your growing lawn, including:

* Fertilize the lawn — Remember to fertilize the same day you seed. After that, for most areas of the country, it’s OK to fertilize your lawn every two months during warm weather.

* Keeping off the grass– Contrary to popular belief, simply walking on grass seedlings isn’t likely to do much harm, but it’s a good idea to avoid walking on them if possible. If you’ve seeded in a high-traffic area it’s a good idea to rope off the spot until the seed is well established — usually after the first mowing.

* Mowing is good for your grass seedlings – Once grass seedlings reach 2 to 3 inches in height, it’s time to mow them. Marshall recommends setting your mower on one of the two highest settings. Trimming the top off new grass actually encourages it to grow laterally, spreading out to fill thin areas.

For more tips on successful seeding and general lawn care help, visit www.scotts.com or call Scott’s consumer help line at (888) 270-3714.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Related posts:

1. The proper care and feeding of your fall lawn
2. Revive Your Summer-stressed Lawn This Fall
3. Tasks For Spring Lawn Care