Winter is closing in fast. If you live in the northern part of the country, the sprinkler system should be winterized or at least should be done soon. Keeping up with leaves is the best way to ensure that there won't be any left on the ground through the winter. Do not leave them on the ground until spring!

The mower should be set a little lower than usual and there may be one or two more mowings left before winter sets in. Try and time the final mowing with mulching up the remaining leaves.

Once the lawn has been mowed for the final time, the mower should be winterized and stored out of the way. Your string trimmer should be winterized, and any other lawn tools should be cleaned up and put away in favor of snow shovels, ice melt, and other winter tools (again, depending on where you live).

Late fall fertilizing should be done after the grass stops growing but before the ground freezes. The timing varies depending on where you live and weather can be unpredictable but for my region (southern New England) it's around late November. Keep the spreader handy to spread sand or ice-melt come winter.

A Chemical Reaction, a documentary by Brett Plymale, is making the rounds at various film festivals around the globe. It tracks the rise of the anti-pesticide movement beginning in 1984 when dermatologist Dr. June Irwin discovered a link between her patients' health conditions and their exposure to common lawn pesticides and herbicides. Her determination resulted in the first town council mandated pesticide ban in North America. What has followed in it's wake has been nothing short of a landslide with pesticide bans (specifically cosmetic chemical pesticides like 2,4-D) being outlawed at an increasing rate across Canada and the rise of a worldwide "green" movement.

Another key component of the film is the story of Paul Tukey who I can only describe as the godfather of organic lawn care. I will talk more about him in future posts and an upcoming review of his book The Organic Lawn Care Manual. Through his non-profit organization SafeLawns.org, Mr. Tukey spreads the gospel of natural, organic, pesticide-free, lawn care. I'll admit, I'm smitten with his style of lawn care and am transitioning one of the properties I maintain to organic this spring.

See the trailer:

Sometimes it's more effective to remind people what they should do by pointing out first what they shouldn't do. I've compiled a list of what I consider the ten most common lawn care mistakes. Most lawn care mistakes are a result of over-doing things rather than negligence or ignorance.

Proper mowing, feeding, watering and maintenance of a lawn is best achieved through a knowledgeable approach to lawn care. Working with nature to grow the best lawn possible is easier, safer, less expensive, and more responsible than bombarding the lawn with products in a futile quest for perfection.

Avoiding these common mistakes is guaranteed to put any lawn on the path to greatness.

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photo © Jamie Burke

We had our first frost of the season last week which has prompted me to remind all my northern lawn care enthusiasts to stay off the lawn on frosty mornings. A frosty lawn that gets compromised by walking on it (or worse) can sustain damages that will last into the spring. Usually in the form of dead-grass footprints.

When I worked at golf courses we all loved frosty mornings. The Greens Department was the absolute authority on when golfers could begin their round and that sometimes meant up to a two hour wait. Our usual frenetic morning routine would come to a crawl and we'd have a couple of extra cups of coffee as we monitored the sun's progress while the golfers stewed. We all had a story about an over-eager greens chairman, club president or co-worker who defied our expertise, couldn't wait, and subsequently left dead tire marks and foot prints up and down the fairways. Frosty mornings are not to be taken lightly when it comes to activity on the grass.

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Keep Off the Lawn on Frosty Mornings

photo © Chris Windsor/Getty Images