Fall is the perfect time to give your lawn in South Dakota a little extra love. 🍂 The cooler temps and hopefully gentle rains make it easier for your grass to recover from the summer heat and get ready for winter. A few simple chores now will make all the difference when spring rolls around and you want that lush, green look again.
Keep mowing for as long as your grass is growing — usually until the first hard frost. Set your mower around 3 inches high. That’s short enough to keep things tidy but tall enough to protect the roots. If your yard feels hard or compacted, it’s a great time to aerate. Those little holes help water, air, and nutrients reach the roots where they’re needed most. After that, overseed any thin or bare spots. Cool-season mixes like Kentucky bluegrass or fescue do especially well here. Keep the seed damp until it sprouts and thickens up. And don’t forget the fertilizer! A slow-release or “winterizer” fertilizer applied in early October will help the grass store up nutrients for the cold months ahead.
As the leaves start to fall, keep an eye on them. A thick blanket of leaves can smother your lawn. So either rake them up or mulch them finely with your mower. This is also a prime time to tackle weeds. A fall application of broadleaf weed killer works great because weeds are pulling energy and the herbicide down into their roots. Even if it feels cool outside, your lawn still needs water if things are dry. Aim for about an inch of water a week until the ground freezes.
When the season winds down, everything gets a good cleanup. Do one last mow at about 2½ inches. Gather up any leftover leaves or debris, and put away your garden tools. It’s also smart to drain your hoses and get your mower serviced so it’s ready to go next spring. If you’ve had trouble with annual bluegrass or winter weeds, a pre-emergent treatment in late fall can help keep them in check.
Take care of these few chores now, and your lawn will thank you in the spring. You will have a greener, thicker, and ready for a new season. That is why fall is the perfect time to give your Lawn Extra Love
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