This Sunday marks the official beginning of Autumn, and the Guthrie Center Extension and Outreach Office has some tips to keep your lawn healthy as the seasons change.

It is often good to allow your lawn to stay in dormancy for a few weeks before getting into fall lawn chores such as fertilization, mowing, weed control and aeration.  But since we have received little rain in the Raccoon River Valley in recent months, the majority of residential lawns are already in dormant states and have been for too long.

You should wait until we see more rain in the coming weeks before electing to take care of such chores as fertilization and aeration.

Both fertilization and core aeration are useful ways to keep your lawn healthy through the fall and winter until the grass arrives again in the spring, but the soil needs water to make these mechanisms most effective according to ISU Extension horticulturist Richard Jauron.

Jauron says those interested in lawn aeration should wait until after a substantial rain of more than half an inch or an inch before doing so.  If we don’t receive significant amounts of rain in the coming weeks, Jauron advises people to avoid aeration this year.

Anyone with lawn care questions can contact the ISU Extension horticulturists at their “hortline” by calling 515-294-3108.