LAWN CARE IN AUTUMN

October
In October the soil should be ready for making of a new lawn. In autumn it is important to time the sowing correctly. Take into consideration weather conditions, as the height of grass should make up approximately 10 cm before winter. There is also late autumn sowing: the grass seeds are put in the prepared soil to sprout in the next year. Then the seeds are rolled up slightly. The advantage of late sowing is the following: you can see young green growth in early spring, straight away after thawing.
At the beginning of October you ca think about the preparation of the existing lawn for winter. In this period you may apply autumn phosphorus potash fertilizers. These nutrients stimulate the formation of grass roots and strengthen the cellular tissue. They improve resistance to cold and steadiness of plants to diseases. After the ordinary lawn mowing, distribute the fertilizers evenly on the lawn. You can do it by hand or use special seeding machine. Next water the lawn area.
If you prefer to use complex fertilizers, in this case choose fertilizers with minimum amount of nitrogen.
Do not use spring complex fertilizers in autumn! The nitrogen stimulates the formation of plant cells. The grass begins to grow actively and consequently young sprouts will be liable to frosts.
To maintain the optimum water-air conditions of a lawn, it is recommended to puncture the soil with spikes. This working favors the derivation of water in deeper layers of the soil. This also prevents the damping-off of the lawn as a result of autumn steady rains. It is desirable to puncture the lawn area at a depth of 10-25 cm when the weather is dry. Use a garden pitchfork.
In autumn when the weather is damp, moisture enriches the upper layer of the soil. This leads to the formation of crust when it begins to freeze, that is, the ice crust is formed on the soil surface as well as at a depth of 10 cm. The ice crust has a baneful influence upon the root system of plants. In the issue the plants are not able to stand winter. To avoid this, it is recommended to aerate the upper layer of the soil in order to make water penetrate in the deeper layers of the soil and to air the soil out.

September
In this month it is becoming cooler outside. As it rains, the time has come for making of a new lawn or maintenance of the existing one. You should not worry about your lawn state if you have carried out all the listed above maintenance procedures. Continue them as before. If you notice some sparse, burnt out or damaged lawn areas, you should sow your lawn additionally. Do it afternoons. Sow the damaged areas in the following way:
Sowing of damaged areas:
·Mow the lawn low and remove the cut grass;
·Loosen the upper layer of the soil at a depth of 15 cm. Use a rake or cultivator;
·Level the soil surface;
·Sow the lawn area;
·Press the soil firmly by using a veneer sheet or a board;
·Water the whole lawn area.
Sowing of sparse lawn areas:
·Loosen the upper layer of the soil at a depth of 1-1,5 cm. Do not be afraid to harm the existing plants;
·Scatter the seed mixture evenly on the lawn;
·Water the whole lawn area.

November
The lawn mowing is of great importance for the winter stay. Cut the grass at the end of October or at the beginning of November. Take into consideration that the grass should manage to recover and grow for 2-3 cm. The grass height should be no lower than 6-8 cm. High grass is liable to winterkilling and grass that is too low will be very weak and in addition it will suffer from shortage of breath as in this case the leaf surface of oxygen uptake is very small.
At the end of autumn you should correct the negative consequences of this season.
All the diversity of the autumn tints in the form of the fallen leaves little by little is found on the ground. The fallen leaves like a blanket covers the lawn complicating access to light. In the issue plants grow pale and by steady precipitations they become liable to rotting and damping-off together with the fallen leaves. Remember that cut grass, fallen leaves, needles of conifers and excretions of domestic animals and birds that have been lying on your lawn for a long time lead to the formation of a thick layer. It does not let water through and impedes the airing of your lawn. The constant humidity of this layer favors the development of various diseases and decrease of plants' resistance to cold either in autumn or in spring. In this period of time do not forget to clean your lawn in proper time after each lawn mowing and leaf fall.