• slide
  • slide
  • slide
  • slide
  • slide
  • slide
  • slide

Do One Thing This Fall for a Healthier Lawn

Boost your lawn’s health, reduce maintenance and be kinder to the environment by doing just one thing in fall.

Fertilize with a low nitrogen, slow release fertilizer around Labor Day. As the temperatures begin to cool, the lawn focuses its energy on root growth and spreading outward instead of growing upward. This one fertilization can boost your lawn’s density to better compete with weeds and tolerate environmental stress.

Continue to leave clippings on the lawn. These return nutrients, moisture, and organic matter to the soil. 

Increase the quality and improve the lawn’s ability to withstand and recover from use with a second application. Apply fertilizer between mid-October and Thanksgiving, but before the ground freezes. Those growing warm season grasses should make the last application in early October at least one month prior to the first killing frost. 

A bit more information: Mowing high is another way to improve your lawn’s health and reduce weeds. And mow often enough, removing no more than 1/3 the height of the grass. Then leave these short clippings on the lawn. A season’s worth of clippings is equal to one fertilizer application. 

Upcoming Live Events
& Webinars


Jan. 18, 2025
Garden Visions
Wausau, WI and Virtual

Feb. 7-9, 2025
PBS Wisconsin's
Garden & Green Living Expo

Madison, WI

Feb. 12, 2025
FREE WEBINAR:
Organic Insect Pest Management for Vegetable and Flower Gardens

Register here

Feb. 14-16, 2025
NARI Milwaukee Spring Home Improvement Show
West Allis, WI

Feb. 19, 2025
FREE WEBINAR:
Strategies for Managing Invasive Plants

Register here

Feb. 26, 2025
FREE WEBINAR:
Create a Beautiful Shade Garden

Register here

March 12, 2025
FREE WEBINAR:
Grow Pollinator-friendly Spring and Summer Flowering Bulbs

Register here

March 19, 2025
FREE WEBINAR:
Be a Waterwise Gardener
Register here

March 26, 2025

FREE WEBINAR:
Succession Planting & Crop Rotation

Register here

WATCH ON-DEMAND WEBINARS

Learn More

Book an Appearance

Learn More

Enter to Win Melinda's Food Gardening for Everyone DVD set

ENTER NOW