Off-Season Lawn Care Tips

As the summer heat finally comes to an end here in North Central Florida, it is common for many people to believe their lawn care for the year is coming to an end, too. While the nature of your yard care will change in this next season, there is no reason for it to end entirely. This cooler time of year is a great opportunity to take steps towards ensuring that your yard will remain healthy through the entire winter. Clean up the yard, refresh your landscape, and prepare your grass and plants for a thriving spring with these off-season lawn care tips from the landscaping experts at LawnMore.

Off-Season Lawn Care Tips

Mulching & Fertilizing

Fall is a great time to re-mulch your yard. Not only is the work is more enjoyable since it's cooler outside, but laying mulch now will prepare your yard to remain healthy through the cold, wet conditions winter can often bring. In the case of bitter cold temperatures coupled with rain, mulch will act as an insulating barrier between your soil and the air - preserving the life of your grass. Fertilizing your yard is also a great idea for this time of year. Over the next few months, the fertilizer will collect in the root system and continue to provide nourishment to the grass as the weather turns cooler. As your grass feeds on these nutrients throughout the winter, you can expect healthy and abundant growth when the spring brings life back to your landscape.

Overseeding

Overseeding in the fall is another great way to prepare your yard for winter. This practice of planting a temporary grass will be sure to keep your lawn green all winter long.Be sure to remove any debris from your yard and mow the grass before sowing the seed. You'll need to water your lawn frequently until the new grass begins to grow. Once this new grass is established it will need to be watered, mowed, and fertilized. When the temperature begins to rise in the spring, the grass grown from overseeding will die back as your original grass begins to grow again.If you do choose to overseed, be sure to focus especially on any spots of grass that have died throughout the year. Pinpointing these bare spots when you reseed is essential to ensuring that you have a full, healthy yard next year.

Mowing

When summer comes to a close, you will start to notice your grass growing more and more slowly. Because of this, you should gradually cut back your mowing habits as the year progresses into the off-season. To do this, lower your mowing height to 0.5" - 1.0" and mow less often, but don't stop altogether until you know your grass has stopped growing.

Landscape Design

When you look around at your landscaping, is it everything you want or is something missing? If the latter is the case, these cooler months of the year are a great time to assess your yard and really decide what you want to do with it. There's plenty of time to plan and execute a landscape redesign without worrying about summer weather. Regardless if it's your front yard or backyard, your outdoor space should be exactly what you want it to be, and custom landscaping is a great way to do that this fall or winter.

Landscape Rehabilitation

The summer can be tough on your yard. Between heavy rains, wind, extreme heat, animals digging through your grass, and even your kids running around, your yard can be left looking a little worn out. Landscape rehab is not necessarily about changing your yard, just working with the bones of what's there and making it that much better. So as fall rolls around, if you find that the beauty and curb appeal of your landscape isn't quite what it once was, a landscape rehab project could be a great option this off-season.

Contact LawnMore this Off-season

LawnMore of Gainesville is here to help with all of your off-season lawn care needs. We provide landscaping services year round, and it's never too late to give your yard a little extra TLC. Call our team today to schedule service for your lawn during these next few months to be sure you'll love your yard when spring rolls around again!