Living in Phoenix, Arizona–the fall weather patterns have quite the range from lows of 70’s and highs of 100’s in September to lows of 50’s and highs of 70’s by November. A range that can really affect your lawn and the care needed for it in order to thrive through the mild winter ahead. The leaves are getting ready to turn, and the family is gonna be visiting before too long. Your lawn is looking great after the summer, but now you have to get it ready for the cold months ahead. Making sure you adequately prepare your lawn for the fall and winter ahead is incredibly important. Here are a few tips for maintaining your fall lawn care in Phoenix.
Preparing Your Grass
Most warm-season grasses will turn brown in the winter months. To keep your lawn a lovely shade of green, you should begin overseeding it with a cold season grass in the fall. This ensures that your lawn will keep it’s color despite parts of it becoming dormant. To effectively overseed, you should scalp your summer lawn. This will ensure the new seed that you’re putting down will get to the soil.
Seeding
Proper seeding should be done in two directions. The second should be perpendicular to the first to ensure an even spread. Make certain that you don’t have any areas of seed that are too thin or too thick. Otherwise, you may have yellow stripes or extra dense grass. As for how much seed to use, you should get about 12 pounds for every 1,000 feet of lawn. Using a cold season grass like perennial ryegrass is highly recommended for the fall and winter seasons, as it survives the colder temperatures no problem. However, cold season grasses won’t be able to survive an Arizonian summer.
Fertilizing
The fall is the perfect time to get your newly planted cold season grass going with some fertilizer. This keeps your lawn looking robust and healthy and is a vital step to its upkeep. It is equally important to get the right kind of fertilizer. It’s recommended that the fertilizer you select will combat the alkalinity of Arizona’s soil.
Watering
Watering new grass effectively can be a challenge. You should make sure the bed is thoroughly damp for about a week and a half. After that, you should water 4-5 times a day in short intervals for about a week. After the grass has grown to an inch in length, you can cut it down to 2-3 short waterings a day. Once your lawn has been established, you can cut down to only watering once every other day during the winter.
Mowing
Make sure you don’t mow your lawn for two weeks once it’s been established. This helps make sure that your mowing doesn’t remove the new grass and cause bald spots. The first cut will put your grass at about an inch. If you prefer your lawn to be longer, then wait three weeks before you begin mowing. Once all the ryegrass has been established you can follow a regular mowing cycle.
Maintaining your lawn is a year-round affair with plenty of effort involved. To keep it looking nice in the winter, the work begins in the fall. Following these guidelines will ensure that your lawn is in tip-top shape for the coming cold season!
Need additional help? Visit our Phoenix lawn care page for more info! Aside from Phoenix, we also provide lawn care services to the southwest in cities including, Tucson, AZ, Albuquerque, NM, and San Diego, CA.
