This fall lawn maintenance calendar will lead to a barefoot-worthy lawn and ensure great curb
appeal.If you do a little fall maintenance, next summer’s grass will be barefoot-worthy and ensure great
curb appeal.Early-Fall:The best time to patch bare or thin spots is when the hot, dry days of summer
have given way to cooler temps.Follow these simple steps:• Remove any dead grass.• Break up the soil
with a garden trowel.• Add an inch of compost and work it into the soil.• Add grass seed that’s designed
for shade or full sun, depending on the area you’re working on. Spread the seed evenly across the bare
patch.• Use a hard-tooth rake to work the seed into the soil to a depth of about half an inch.• Sprinkle
grass clippings over the patch to help prevent the soil from drying out.• Water the area; you’ll want to
keep the patch moist, so lightly water once a day until the seed germinates and the new grass gets about
one inch tall.Fall:Your main job in fall is to keep your lawn free of leaves and other debris. You can
use a mulching mower to break up leaves and add the organic matter to your soil, but be sure to clean up
any clumps so they don’t kill the grass.This is also the time to fertilize your lawn. Your grass will
store the nutrients in its roots as it goes dormant over the winter, and your lawn will be ready for a
jump start when spring warms the ground.(Deb Shaffer, of Welles Bowen Realtors, is president of the Wood
County Board of Realtors.)