Fall in New Jersey can be breathtaking. This is the time of year when leaves turn vibrant red, orange, and yellow. It is also when those beautiful leaves begin to scatter about your lawn. Though this can add some color, leaf beds and sticks can invite pests into your yard. This is only one of the many ways fall likes to “trick” your yard at Halloween time. What do we mean? Imagine fall is a group of punk kids. Here are some of the things it will do to your lawn that can be as unpleasant as a Halloween egging or a smashed pumpkin.
Fall Lawn Tricks:
- Fall thinks it is funny to scatter weeds all over your lawn. But this is not a funny Halloween prank. You may not know this, but a thick turf is naturally resistant to weeds, and this time of year, grass grows more slowly, so weeds have an easier time finding a place to thrive. This is also a season when all plants are soaking in energy to prepare for the long winter. This means those weeds are going to grow faster. That is why it is important to apply appropriate herbicides to keep weeds away now, to prevent weeds from being a problem in spring.
- Sometimes fall likes to sneak in and steal stuff–like nutrients. This is the time of year when it is most important to give your lawn the nutrients it needs for strong shoot and root growth. If you want to start spring off right, it is important to end fall well. That is why it is important to aerate your soil. This allows oxygen, water, and fertilizer to get to grass roots.
- Another trick fall likes to play is to make bald patches in your yard. These spots need to be seeded and fertilized to make them ready for quick growth in the spring.
Some Halloween pranks are just mean spirited. If fall is playing tricks on your lawn, treat your lawn to a little love and care. Give the lawn care pros at ChemTec a call.
As for those other Halloween tricks, there are lots of ideas on the Internet for playing some fun tricks this Halloween. One we recommend is when trick or treaters come calling, show up at the door with a pan full of scrambled eggs and pretend you’re going to put a spatula-full into each candy bag. A bowl full of pudding works well too. Just be prepared to follow this trick up with candy bars or some other awesome treat–and everyone will have a good Halloween chuckle.
