I don't use any chemicals on our lawn, so I don't do much to prepare my lawn. I mulch the leaves into the lawn as late has I can in the season. It makes quite a difference in the spring.

I also make sure there isn't anything laying around on the grass that might kill it over the winter months.

And I make sure it has a good cutting before snow flies.

So far, our lawns have survived the winter. I know quite a few people use weed and feed in the fall, in fact our neighbour just did that with their grass, but I just don't like the use of chemicals in anyway on our yard.

How about you?

I haven't used any chemicals on our lawn all summer. We did put lime on our lawn this spring, because my FIL always said it helped repel tics and fleas. I found out later that this is an old "wives tale". For the winter I am just going to make sure the yard is picked up and possibly mow one last time.

We don't use any chemicals on our lawn either. My dh has to mow one last time before the snow flies. Our mower automatically mulches so it will take care of all the leaves from our huge maple trees too.

Basically just make sure everything is nice and neat and ready for the NY winter!

All of our sod died over the harsh summer we had, so we really aren't going to be ing all that much to ours. We might get it done professionally this spring. Cross your fingers, we have gone through two years of no luck doing it ourselves!

Just have to get the leaves off and give it it's final mulching haircut for the year. Dh may fertilize, I'm not sure.

Well, I have to mow again. UGH. I thought I was done. I
have all the stray stuff picked up before it gets really cold, so the grass won't die in the spring.

I mow it to get the leaves up and off so the dead grass is standing up and breathing in the spring when the ice and snow come off. Helps to avoid winter kill and snow mold.

I like to LIGHTLY sprinkle a cheap 10-10-10 or 6-8-6 on in the fall but didn't get round to it this fall. We have a nice blanket of snow already. that helps feed the roots.

In the spring I usually throw a bit of that around along with the 46-0-0 which is the granular straight nitrogen. In winter I keep a big sack of that for ice melting purposes.

In both cases I use a spreader hand held and I make sure no "clumps" happen to burn the lawn. I don't spread it heavily, quite lightly in fact. I look to see if the lawn looks healthy then just leave well enough alone. If it starts to look hungry or cranky I go out and have a close look and see if it's more water needed or just what is going on with it.

Then all spring and summer and fall I pretty much use the mulching attachment on the mower so the grass clippings make their own lawn fertilizer.

I'm not big on lots of fertilizer, just once or twice LIGHTLY in the spring and fall and regular watering and mowing in between letting the clippings serve as a time release fertilizer.

I don't like weed and feed stuff, never use it, and I hate the cost of the timed release lawn fertilizer. My system works reasonably well. I don't get lawn diseases, the weeds aren't bad (if lawn grasses are fed well, you don't have to worry about weeds, they crowd a lot out) and my neighbors ask how I do it.

Just don't overfeed because that will encourage disease and harms the whole ecosystem. I don't think my resident toads want to trip over clumps of fertilizer.

well I hope my resident toads are all bundled up safe and sound in their hidey spots, because the snow is here and is staying.

My cherry tree refused to drop it's leaves on time for the last mowing (which I managed a week before our unseasonably early snowfall) and NOW it's decided to let fly!!!!

LOL it foiled me and all my tidy lawn plans.