I've just spent the entire summer fighting the heat and trying to keep my lawn healthy and green. Now that the weather is about to turn cooler, is there anything special that I need to do to care for my lawn?

Fall lawn care is just as important as spring lawn care. You have spent the last several months fertilizing, weeding, mowing and trimming. As the weather begins to turn cooler, your focus will turn to getting your lawn ready for winter. The steps that you take in the fall will help ensure a healthy lawn next spring. Here are a few tips to make sure that your lawn gets through the cold weather and bounces back next spring.

Mowing • As the weather turns cooler, raise the height on your lawn mower. Grass should be cut no lower than 2 inches. Avoid cutting more than one third of the blade of grass at any time. You might consider using the mulching option on your mower (if available). The nutrients in the grass can work with a winterizer fertilizer to feed the lawn during the winter.

Raking • Remove fallen leaves as quickly as possible. Leaves left on the lawn block the sunlight your grass needs to for the growth of a healthy root system.

Aeration • Over the summer, drought and heavy use of a lawn can result in the soil becoming compacted. This makes it more difficult for water, fertilizer and air to reach the lawn's root system. Purchase or rent a core aerator to loosen the compacted soil. It is best to do this before you fertilize for the fall.

Fertilizing • Your lawn continues to develop its root system underground during the winter. It is important that the lawn be fed. In fact, if you only fertilizer your lawn once a year, do it in the fall. Products like Scotts Winterguard or Vigoro's Winter Fertilizer supply potassium and phosphorus to the roots, making them stronger during the winter.

Seeding • If your lawn has thinned out over the summer like mine, you may want to over-seed using an annual grass seed. Loosen the soil to a depth of 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Then fertilize and seed following the manufacturer's directions. Remember, you will have to keep it wet for several weeks until the root system takes hold.

Adding chemicals • You may want to consider testing the PH of your soil. You can purchase a soil test kit or have a lawn care service do this for you. If the soil is too acidic, you can apply lime. And if the soil test indicates a high level of alkalinity, an application of sulphur will help.

One final note on fall lawn care. As you put that lawn mower, edger or trimmer away, make sure to either drain the gas or at the very least add Stabil to the gas. Every spring we hear from many people whose lawn equipment will not start, and it more often than not is due to gas left in the equipment that has broken down and caused a problem.

Dave Foster is the store manager for the Home Depot in Brentwood.

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