Fall is nearly upon us, but that doesn’t mean your lawn should fall by the wayside. It’s important to the health of your lawn to maintain it even as the weather gets cooler. We’ve rounded up a few maintenance tips you can follow to make sure your lawn comes back green and healthy.

1. Remove leaves. While fallen leaves are pretty and fun to play it, letting them build up can trap moisture between them and the lawn. This moisture is the perfect breeding ground for fungus and the buildup of leaves will block light, leaving your lawn to turn brown.
2. Continue watering. Even though there’s more rain in the fall, letting nature handle the watering of your lawn may not be enough to keep the roots well-hydrated. Your lawn should be receiving at least an inch of water a week to ensure the roots stay healthy and hydrated before winter. A rain gauge will let you know for sure if your lawn is getting enough.
3. Fertilize. Scott’s Step 4 or Espoma’s Organic Step 4 are ideal to put down now. Your lawn will begin storing those extra nutrients, and they’ll help promote root growth.
4. Overseed. Have some bare or thin spots in your lawn? Overseeding will not only fill in those spots, but a dense lawn is a great defense against weeds as well. Fall is the best time to overseed because the ground is still warm, there’s more moisture and less evaporation, nights are cool, and the sun isn’t as hot during the day. However, if you choose to overseed, make sure you’re watering in that new seed until it germinates. It won’t take to the soil if it’s not receiving enough moisture.
5. Lay Sod. Fall is the best time to lay a new lawn or patch an existing one with sod. Like overseeding, sod will thank the cooler nights and higher moisture level that the season brings, but make sure you’re watering thoroughly to give the roots a fighting chance against the winter.