From spring onwards, the lawn in the garden is looked after and cared for. When the end of the year approaches, it is then often severely neglected. Here, however, care is once again important so that the grasses can go into the cold, dark season of the year strengthened and well prepared. A final wellness treatment before the winter rest is necessary and is highly recommended so that the lawn can take off again in the next year and shows its wellbeing healthy and green. Read what needs to be done in the following text.
Characteristics
- The goal is a green, dense lawn
- Moss, dandelions, clover and other weeds are a nuisance
- Likewise brown and bald spots
- The grass seed is crucial for a beautiful lawn
- Lawn needs plenty of water
- Water in the morning
- Regular cut, but not too short
- 4 cm is ideal
- Scarify the lawn
- In any case in spring
- If necessary again in autumn
- Fertilize regularly
- Iron sulphate also kills moss
- Liming helps prevent moss
- Clover supports a lack of nitrogen
- Do not over-fertilize the lawn – there is a risk of fungal diseases
Table of Contents
Lawn fertilization in autumn
Of course there is more to lawn care in autumn than fertilization. The lawn is mowed as long as it grows. It does that even in cooler temperatures, but you can tell it’s getting less. The lawn grows more slowly. If the temperatures are not too low, you can confidently mow until November. Sometimes it is even necessary to cut in December so that the grass does not go too high into the winter, because that is not cheap. For the last cut, a lawn height of three to five centimeters should be left. The lawn can still photosynthesize and assert itself well against moss and weeds. If the lawn is too long, the snow will weigh down the grass in winter. Diseases and fungi can spread in the flattened grass. This can also happen
Preparation for fertilization
In addition to regular pruning, it is also important that leaves are removed from the lawn. There are usually plenty of them in autumn. Weed removal should not be neglected either. Weeds multiply until late in the year when the temperatures are favorable and start up again in good time in spring.
- Regularly remove leaves from the lawn. It shouldn’t stay too long.
- Lawn cannot breathe under a layer of leaves. It’s also dark and grass needs light to thrive.
- Snow mold often forms under a layer of leaves (brown spots on the lawn)
- The same applies to windfalls. Fungi or fungal spores often sit on it and then spread.
- Don’t forget to remove weeds
- If there are any bald spots in the lawn, now is still a good time to close them.
- The soil is warm enough and the sun is no longer too hot, ideal for overseeding.
What nutrients does lawn need in autumn?
With the change of the seasons, the demands of the plants on their nutrients also change. In autumn, nitrogen is no longer needed, which stimulates growth. Growth accelerator is now rather harmful. While other plants do not have to be given special fertilizers every fall, it is advisable to add nutrients to the lawn every year at this time.
- Potassium is important in autumn.
- Which autumn fertilizer is used is of secondary importance as long as the potassium content is high.
- 18% and more are cheap
- Nitrogen only in very small proportions
- In sandy soils, the fertilizer should contain long-term potassium, as normal potassium washes out too quickly.
The combination of the nutrients potassium and nitrogen ensures stable cell walls in the grass and increases the concentration of salt in the plant cells. The freezing point of the grasses is lowered, which means that significantly less frost damage occurs.
Patent potash or autumn lawn fertilizer?
Patentkali is a special fertilizer with a high potassium content, which also contains a lot of magnesium, which is why it is often called potassium magnesia. The natural mineral kieserite is used for the fertilizer. Patentkali is also approved for organic farming.
Fall lawn fertilizers are also rich in potassium. In principle, both fertilizers can be used. A direct comparison can only be drawn by those who share their lawn and use both on the different areas.
Liming the lawn in autumn?
If you have a very acidic soil, you can prevent it from becoming totally over-acidic through regular liming. This deprives moss of its livelihood. The best time is October. Special products are favorable, for example Cuxin green lime, which also contains magnesium carbonate.
Carbonate of lime reacts slowly. He then has plenty of time for autumn fertilization. It should be noted that lime consumes a lot of humus. So it has to be replenished.
Before liming is started, the pH of the soil must be determined. If this is not acidic, but in the normal range, it should never be limed, because then the moss has other causes. If liming is carried out in spite of this, the moss growth can increase.
When is fertilization carried out?
Autumn fertilization should be carried out between mid-October and mid-November.
How is fertilization done?
The autumn fertilization does not differ from that in the months before. It is important that the fertilizer is evenly distributed and that not too much is used. As always, over-fertilization disturbs the biological balance. In order to avoid over-fertilization, it is essential to adhere to the quantities stated on the packaging.
- Often fertilizer trolleys are recommended for spreading, but they are not the ultimate answer. Often they scatter very irregularly and the calculated amount and the area do not match.
- Fertilizing by hand isn’t exactly reliable either, but most gardeners get along better this way.
- If you are fertilizing by hand for the first time, you should weigh the required amount of fertilizer exactly so that too much fertilizer is not used.
- For larger lawns, it is advisable to mark out smaller areas and to weigh the amount for them.
- Don’t forget your gloves!
Despite all care and fertilization in autumn, the lawn should not be stepped on in winter. When it is frosty, the grasses break off and then turn brown.
Frequently asked questions
How exactly does potassium work on grasses?
In principle it is very simple. The nutrients accumulate in the vacuoles, the water reservoirs of the plant cells, and increase the salt content of the cell sap. This concentration of salts lowers the freezing point of the cell fluid. Overall, the plant cells become more resistant to frost. In addition, potassium also improves water transport and gas exchange in the plant. The water pressure in the root is increased and the function of the gap opening in the flowers is improved. The flow of water in the plants is kept running through evaporation. At the same time, carbon dioxide can flow into the leaf tissue for photosynthesis. The grasses simply cope better with lower temperatures.
Which autumn lawn fertilizers are recommended?
That is certainly a matter of opinion. Personally, I’m a friend of Patentkali, but fall lawn fertilizer is fine too. What I have found is that there are quite large price differences, not only between discount and professional goods, but in general.
- Neudorff Azet HerbstRasenDünger
- Oscorna Rasaflor Lawn Fertilizer
- Cuxin lawn fall fertilizer
- Wolf-Garten autumn lawn fertilizer
Bulk packs have the cheapest prices. When it comes to the kilo price, they are often well below the small packs. Hardly anyone will be able to waste 25 kilograms in the home garden, but you can share it with neighbors, friends, family or colleagues. If fertilizer is overwintered dry and frost-free, it can also be kept quite well.
