Experts Recommend Fall Lawn Repair Products

Experts are recommending specific products to help lawns recover from summer damage before fall. Lawn care specialist Angelika Zaber and agronomist Ramy Colfer Ph.D. provided their suggestions to Gardening Know How.

Summer conditions like drought, heat, and increased foot traffic can leave grass frazzled. Common problems include soil compaction, underwatering, diseases from humidity, over-mowing, and pests.

Expert Product Picks for Lawn Recovery

Angelika Zaber, a lawn care specialist at Online Turf, emphasizes the importance of aeration after heavy foot traffic. She recommends the Spear & Jackson Digging Fork to loosen compacted soil. This tool helps grass get the oxygen, water, and nutrients it needs by being repeatedly stabbed into the lawn.

The fork is versatile. When not needed for aerating, it can be used for turning over soil or breaking up compacted ground.

For heavily damaged grass, Zaber suggests an alternative: a plug lawn aerator like the Ergonomic Core Aerator Tool. This model removes plugs of soil, creating larger holes. These holes allow water and nutrients to penetrate deeper. The removed plugs can be left on the lawn to break down and act as a natural fertilizer.

Monitoring and Feeding Your Lawn

Summer sun and heat dry soil quickly, causing browning or yellowing grass. Using a soil moisture meter, like the Dr.meter model, helps gauge when the grass needs water. Zaber notes that hot temperatures cause water to evaporate faster from the soil. Signs of struggle include yellow or brown grass, slow growth, and a dry, brittle feel underfoot.

It is best to place the moisture meter in a central location if the yard isn't shaded. For yards with both sun and shade, purchasing two meters allows for monitoring in both conditions.

Frazzled grass needs help from the soil up. A quality lawn fertilizer can revamp grass, making it grow back more lush and strong. Ramy Colfer Ph.D., Vice President of Research & Development and Agronomy at True Organic Products, Inc., explains that healthy lawns are built by improving the soil. Organic lawn fertilizers feed the soil biology, helping develop stronger roots and better drought tolerance.

The Scott's Turf Sun and Shade Mix is an option for fertilizing and overseeding simultaneously, as the bag contains both fertilizer and grass seed. Colfer recommends the True Organic Lawn food in both Liquid and Granular Form. Both are designed to nourish the soil for thicker, greener, more resilient lawns.

Over-mowing is a common summer issue. It can cause grass roots to become shallow. Colfer adds that 'scalping' the lawn is one of the fastest ways to stress turf during summer. Short grass exposes soil to more sunlight, causing faster moisture evaporation and allowing weeds to gain a foothold.

A grass gauge, like one available on Amazon, can help determine when grass is too long before mowing. Simply insert it into the soil, and the gauge will indicate when the grass needs cutting.

The source for these recommendations is an article by Ciéra, a writer and regional laureate, for Gardening Know How.