Go green this fall with these yard care tips from K-State Research and Extension
Fall is falling – literally. As leaves begin to fall off trees, your yard care routine is about to shift. Gone are the days of lawnmowing in the hot sun, and now it’s time to prepare your lawn for winter.
There isn’t one right way to maintain your yard this time of year, but proper care can help you keep your lawn healthy heading into winter.
Johnson County’s K-State Research and Extension Office is the expert in landscape management and lawn horticulture, and it has plenty of tips to get you started.
Mowing and Maintaining Your Lawn
Maintaining your lawn starts with, well…your grass, of course! During the winter, grass goes dormant and turns brown. That’s because shorter days and colder temperatures slow the grass’ growth.
These steps for mowing, watering and fertilizing your lawn now in the fall can assure that your grass will grow back green and strong next spring:
- Mow your lawn until temperatures drop below 50 degrees during the day.
- Water your lawn every other week (if weather is dry), leading up to winter.
- Fertilize cool-season grasses, such as Kentucky bluegrass and tall fescue, in November, as it will stimulate root growth for next spring. (Wait and fertilize warm-season grasses in the summer.)
Fall is also a great time to get your soil tested. There’s less rainfall this time of year than during the spring, making it easier to take a soil sample. Testing your soil’s pH, potassium and phosphorus levels determines its fertility – and this can help you pick out fertilizer for next spring.
K-State Research and Extension does soil testing, and Johnson County residents are eligible for one free test per household per year. Find out how to apply for this offer.
Sponsored by K-State Research and Extension, Kansas Healthy Yards and Communities has some additional tips for maintaining a healthy yard and environment, with specific tips for the months of October and November.
What to Do with All Those Leaves
Fall foliage is a scenic sign of the season. But as the leaves fall, they can become a problem. Fallen leaves create excessive shade for grass, reducing the sunlight it needs to grow. A thick layer of leaves should be removed about every four days for best growth.
You can choose to rake and bag your leaves, but mulching the leaves in place is best practice for protecting pollinators through winter. Mulch mowing is exactly how it sounds: Mow up to six inches of fallen leaves at a time and let the finely chopped leaves filter into the soil as mulch. You can also use the chopped leaves as garden mulch.
Looking for a place to dispose of your leaves and grass clippings? You can drop off yard waste at these locations:
- Suburban Lawn and Garden
- Waste Management (Waste Management has a permitted composting facility for yard waste within the property of the Johnson County landfill. Yard waste must be separate from trash and in compostable bags.)
- Missouri Organic Recycling
- City of Olathe Composting (Olathe residents only)
Johnson County’s stormwater staff encourage you not to rake leaves into the street, as they can run off into storm drains, causing blockages that can result in flooding. It’s also bad for water quality, as the leaves may eventually end up in our waterways.
Find more stormwater management tips from stormwater staff, and explore more tips and education from K-State Research and Extension. Got lawn or garden questions? Contact Extension’s Gardening Hotline, staffed by trained EMG volunteers and Extension staff, at 913-715-7050 or garden.help@jocogov.org.