As you can probably tell, fall is a great time for lawns to really grow and recover from this summer’s drought. Fall is the time of year that turf really puts on quite a bit root growth and we have had excellent conditions for this to occur.

If you have bare spots and haven’t seeded by now, it’s best to wait. Your next option is winter seeding and this can be done when temperatures are colder, usually after the holidays.

Winter seeding is the second best time of the year because the freezing and thawing of the ground helps to work the seeds into the soil. They won’t germinate until spring.

Now is a fantastic time to control some of the broadleaf weeds. Don’t wait too much longer, however, because growth will soon slow down and the weeds won’t take in the herbicides.

We generally spot treat dandelions, clover, and other broadleaf weeds in the fall. These plants are actively storing sugar in the root systems and therefore, take the herbicides into the plant much more effectively. However, since many of these weeds have been hit by frosts and aren’t actively growing as much, wait until spring.

Soon we will be mowing the lawn one final time. Don’t scalp the lawn, however! It has been a practice in the past for homeowners to scalp the lawn one last time before winter sets in.

Mow your lawn on the normal height that you should be using all season. For Kentucky bluegrass, the proper height is 1 1/2 to 2 inches, turf type tall fescue height is 2 1/2 to 3 inches, and perennial ryegrass is 2 to 2 1/2 inches.

If you continually remove a large portion of the leaf blade, you stress the roots. Higher mowing favors a deeper root system. Without a good root system, the turf is more likely to struggle through a dry spell.

In addition, this is a great time of the year to sharpen and repair any tools before you put them away for the winter. For some reason, I love to sharpen my pruning tools. There is something soothing about it.

The first step is to clean the tools and remove all of the gunk and soil with steel wool and soapy water. If you have sticky sap on the tool, one of the abrasive cleaners does a good job in removing the sap.

There are all kinds of different files on the market that can be used to sharpen pruners and other garden tools.

I have tried several different types over the years and have found a few that I really like. Go to your local hardware and garden store and see what’s available. Check in the garden center section because they sometimes have tools specifically for garden tool sharpening.

In the tool area you will find all kinds of whetstones and files. Try them out in your hands to see what’s most comfortable. I bought a flat whetstone one time that was about 3-inches-by-6-inches, and it’s great to file knives or flattened objects, but it’s not good at all for pruning shears.

When using a whetstone, apply oil as you sharpen. In addition, it’s a good practice to apply lightweight oil to the tool after you finish, especially to protect the blade.