Autumn is quite a busy season in the garden. It's the time for harvesting and then closing the vegetable garden, pruning certain shrubs and perennials, and thinking about storing garden furniture for the winter. It's also in autumn that you prepare your lawn to get through the long winter months as smoothly as possible. Here is the care to give your lawn during this time of year.
Autumn offers good growing conditions for the lawn. Between mid-August and the end of September, it's the perfect time to apply a fertilizer that will help your lawn recover from the stress endured during the summer, such as drought or trampling. Note that it's also possible to make a second application towards the end of October when the grass has stopped growing but is still green.
There are two types of fertilizers: natural fertilizers and synthetic fertilizers.
Approved for organic farming, Fafard natural fertilizers nourish the soil, which in turn will nourish the lawn.
By decomposing gradually, chicken manure will stimulate beneficial soil microorganisms. This results in prolonged effects. Passion Jardins synthetic fertilizers, on the other hand, directly feed the lawn. The effect is rapid and more noticeable but will not last as long. Consult an advisor at your Passion Jardins store who will help you make the right choice.
Summer, with its drought, insects, and trampling, will have left some areas of your lawn in poor condition. To prevent weeds from proliferating, you must absolutely repair before winter. Remove the damaged grass, add a good soil mix like Viva Pelouse Fafard and sow with quality seeds. Make sure to keep the freshly sown areas moist during germination. Repair the lawn before frost, ideally before the end of September.
Autumn is an excellent time to add organic matter to your soil with topdressing. Apply a thin layer of Viva Pelouse Fafard soil or Passion Jardins marine compost over your entire lawn surface. Take the opportunity to add grass seed, which will densify your lawn, making it more resistant to insects and weeds. Autumn is the ideal time to sow as it offers warm soils and cooler air. Don't worry; the grass will have time to root adequately before winter arrives.
If your soil is hard and it's difficult to insert the tip of a pencil, it would be good to aerate your lawn using specialized equipment that you can easily find at tool rental centers. The advantage of aerating in the fall is that you can leave the small clumps/cores of soil you extracted on the ground; winter will decompose them. We suggest aerating your lawn before topdressing so that the new soil (or compost) can enter the small holes.
If large trees adorn your property... or your neighbors', a thick carpet of dead leaves certainly covers your lawn. Of course, you can collect them and put them in the compost, but if you want to minimize the work, set your mower to mulching mode and mow the lawn with the leaves on it. The shredded leaves will compost quickly. You can also spread your dead leaves in your flower beds; they will make an excellent insulator for the roots. Please don't put the dead leaves in trash bags!
With these good practices, your lawn will remain beautiful until the snow arrives and will regain its beautiful green color more quickly in spring. Visit your Passion Jardins store to get the necessary products to prepare your lawn for winter.
Fertilize
Autumn offers good growing conditions for the lawn. Between mid-August and the end of September, it's the perfect time to apply a fertilizer that will help your lawn recover from the stress endured during the summer, such as drought or trampling. Note that it's also possible to make a second application towards the end of October when the grass has stopped growing but is still green.
It's essential to fertilize your lawn in the fall for several reasons:
- To recharge its energy. This is when the grass stores the energy (light, water, nutrients) it needs to get through the harsh winter months. A fertilizer rich in potassium will give vigor to your lawn and help it better resist frost.
- To allow for a better recovery the following spring. Fall fertilization promotes deep rooting, which allows plants to start spring with healthier and more vigorous roots. A fertilizer rich in potassium is essential, but nitrogen should not be overlooked either. Greening will be early in spring because the nitrogen stored in the roots will already be available when growth resumes.
Natural or synthetic?
There are two types of fertilizers: natural fertilizers and synthetic fertilizers.
Approved for organic farming, Fafard natural fertilizers nourish the soil, which in turn will nourish the lawn.
By decomposing gradually, chicken manure will stimulate beneficial soil microorganisms. This results in prolonged effects. Passion Jardins synthetic fertilizers, on the other hand, directly feed the lawn. The effect is rapid and more noticeable but will not last as long. Consult an advisor at your Passion Jardins store who will help you make the right choice.
Repair damaged areas
Summer, with its drought, insects, and trampling, will have left some areas of your lawn in poor condition. To prevent weeds from proliferating, you must absolutely repair before winter. Remove the damaged grass, add a good soil mix like Viva Pelouse Fafard and sow with quality seeds. Make sure to keep the freshly sown areas moist during germination. Repair the lawn before frost, ideally before the end of September.
Topdressing and overseeding
Autumn is an excellent time to add organic matter to your soil with topdressing. Apply a thin layer of Viva Pelouse Fafard soil or Passion Jardins marine compost over your entire lawn surface. Take the opportunity to add grass seed, which will densify your lawn, making it more resistant to insects and weeds. Autumn is the ideal time to sow as it offers warm soils and cooler air. Don't worry; the grass will have time to root adequately before winter arrives.
Aerate
If your soil is hard and it's difficult to insert the tip of a pencil, it would be good to aerate your lawn using specialized equipment that you can easily find at tool rental centers. The advantage of aerating in the fall is that you can leave the small clumps/cores of soil you extracted on the ground; winter will decompose them. We suggest aerating your lawn before topdressing so that the new soil (or compost) can enter the small holes.
Dead leaves, do we pick them up or not?
If large trees adorn your property... or your neighbors', a thick carpet of dead leaves certainly covers your lawn. Of course, you can collect them and put them in the compost, but if you want to minimize the work, set your mower to mulching mode and mow the lawn with the leaves on it. The shredded leaves will compost quickly. You can also spread your dead leaves in your flower beds; they will make an excellent insulator for the roots. Please don't put the dead leaves in trash bags!
With these good practices, your lawn will remain beautiful until the snow arrives and will regain its beautiful green color more quickly in spring. Visit your Passion Jardins store to get the necessary products to prepare your lawn for winter.
Tips and advice
