How to care for my autumn lawn - 6 top tips

Date Posted:6 March 2023

How to care for my autumn lawn - 6 top tips

Autumn is about more than cleaning up leaves and preparing for the forthcoming cooler months – it’s when the ground-work happens for the very best lawns, come spring! Here are some easy-to-follow autumn lawn care tips that will help you set the foundation for a perfect lawn in the year ahead. To get you in the spirit, first take a look at our most essential tips throughout the season for keeping a healthy and lush lawn.

Autumn lawn care tips

1. Round up fallen leaves

Use a leaf blower and bagger attachment to clean up leaves.

2. Do away with thatch

Removing thatch is an essential step for achieving a healthy lawn. Too much thatch makes it harder for the blades of grass to push through and reach the surface – where it can absorb more sunlight.

You can scarify manually using a thatch rake, or you can use a walk-behind scarifier to efficiently remove matted thatch and moss from the lawn. Not only will this help your lawn breathe again, but it can also cut lateral shoots of grass. Once these begin to root, you’ll get new grass plants and a thicker, more luscious lawn – in other words, the best lawn!

3. Fertilise and fertilise

When your autumn lawn needs care, apply a light dressing fertiliser once in early autumn and once in late autumn. Use a natural fertiliser that is specific to your regional conditions.

It may be worth choosing something with less nitrogen content during autumn lawn care compared to what you used in summer or in spring (some brands will sell autumn-specific fertilisers).

If you encounter moss, you can apply a product containing iron sulphate. This will help adjust the pH of the lawn to send the moss packing.

4. Aerate and overseed

Aerate the lawn – either manually with a pitchfork or using a lawn aerator – as this will get more oxygen to the roots. In addition, you can use a scarifier to improve the aeration. By vertically cutting the carpet, new oxygen is added, which increases the grass's resilience, at the same time as both moss and weeds are torn up together with old grass residues. The grass roots are stimulated by splitting and begin to produce side shoots, which in turn leads to a denser lawn.

You may overseed bare areas too, but make sure you’re at least a month out from the first frost. Bear in mind that the grass stops growing when it is about 6°C.

5. Bring on new blades

Replace or sharpen your mower blades now – we recommend doing this while preparing the autumn lawn for winter. This is because the last cut of the year is incredibly important. Sharper blades will help with giving the grass the best health for its winter rest.

6. Make the crucial cut

For the final – and very crucial – mow, raise the cutting height slightly. The higher the grass is, the more energy it can store through the winter period.

Don’t forget to turn off the irrigation system, if you have one, once the grass stops growing.

How to care for my autumn lawn - 6 top tips