Warm season grasses are the lawns of choice for many Baton Rouge properties because they flourish when the temperatures are high and go dormant when temperatures start to drop. This keeps them looking great for the majority of the year.
Although warm season grasses will be relatively low maintenance in the winter, without the need for mowing, watering, and other regular tasks, there is still some maintenance required and you should start prepping your warm season grass in the fall to keep turf healthy and ready to come back in the spring.
Fall Lawn Care Tips
As long as temperatures are high enough that your lawn is growing, you should continue your summer lawn care strategies. But when growth begins to slow, you will want to transition to the following steps:
- Fertilize One Last Time – Your grass needs to go dormant at the right time in order to be able to get through cold weather. For this reason, you want to stop fertilizing approximately 6 weeks before the first frost in mid-November.
- Mow Your Grass – You can safely mow your grass for as long as it is growing, but as it gets later in the season, set the blade on your mower slightly lower to get grass into its shorter overwintering state.
- Pick Up Leaves – Fallen leaves on your lawn leaves can be suffocating and harbor pests and fungi. Rake up leaves regularly or mulch them by going over fallen leaves with your lawnmower.
- Perform Weed Control – Grass that is shorter and turning brown will make it easy to spot weeds that may have started growing during the summer. You can pull weeds as you find them or use a post-emergent herbicide to get rid of them.
Another option for fall lawn care includes overseeding. This is one way to maintain a green lawn in the winter. With this strategy, you will scatter cool season grass seeds as soon as your warm season lawn begins to turn brown, and those seeds will start to grow once temperatures cool. Ryegrass is a good option here. Water your grass regularly as it becomes established and continue to water, mow, and fertilize throughout the winter to keep the cool season grass healthy.
Leeson Landscape is a landscape company and our lawn care in Baton Rouge is one of the best ways to get your yard ready for winter. Whether you want to maintain it in a healthy dormant state or overseed for a year round green lawn, we work with residential and commercial properties in Baton Rouge to help our clients achieve the healthiest and most beautiful turfgrass. Contact us to learn more about our lawn care services.