Autumn is an important time for your lawn; it’s your chance to ready it for the challenges of winter. Here’s everything you need to know.
As summer ends, lawns often look past their best. The hot, dry weather – and the extra use they receive in the summer – inevitably leads to a decline in their condition.
Luckily, autumn is up next. This mild, damp season is perfect for improving your lawn’s condition and giving it time to recover in the weeks ahead.
Readying your lawn for winter – be it an immaculate green carpet or one that allows a few wildflowers – is one of the key autumn gardening jobs you'll need to handle.
There’s ample time to refresh the grass and prepare your lawn for winter – if you follow the right steps. Let’s look at what needs doing and make autumn lawn care a breeze.
Want to keep your lawn happy and healthy during winter? We've spoken to Philip Clayton to help make sure that happens.
Phil is a plantsman, gardener, author and freelance garden writer with a plant-filled garden in Peterborough.
A member of the RHS Herbaceous Plant Group, he spent 20 years at The Garden (the RHS magazine), latterly as Deputy Editor.
Prior to this, he worked as a landscaper, a role which followed practical training at RHS Garden Wisley, in Surrey. He also has a BSc Hons in Horticulture from Wye College in Kent.
His books include A Plant For Every Day Of The Year (2022), Grow: Roses (2024) and Parched (2024). He also currently works as gardener at The Manor Hemingford Grey, near Huntingdon.
With wide-ranging experience as an industry expert, Phil is more than ready to help you keep your lawn in tip-top shape throughout winter.
Starting your autumn lawn maintenance in September and October gives the best results; long before it's time for typical winter home maintenance activities.
You’ll be giving your lawn a great chance of staying in good shape through the winter months.
Gardening expert Phil Clayton says "It’s worth spending time on your grassed areas over the next few weeks as the seasons change – autumn is often a little like spring with perfect growing weather, so make the most of it by getting lawns back into good shape.
"You’ll also need to keep on top of fallen leaves when possible."
You can expect a positive outcome if you take care of these tasks in good time.
Planning on installing a new lawn? Head to our guide on how to lay turf instead.
1. Rake your lawn
Sometimes known as scarifying your lawn, raking is all about removing thatch (grass clippings, moss, and other organic material) from the surface.
Debris on the surface of your lawn can act as an obstacle for water that would usually reach the soil below.
Removing thatch lessens the chance of drought, and should help you avoid bare patches on your lawn through summer.
Thatch and moss build-up also limits air circulation within the grass, which can result in fungal infections – another thing you’ll want to avoid.
The process is simple. Use decent force to rake across your lawn, removing thatch without tearing out grass. Go in one direction before doubling back on yourself.
This is pretty demanding with larger lawns. You could buy a lawn scarifier or lawn mower attachment to help – while booking a regular gardening service is another option.
Phil Clayton says "It's a good idea to rake up fallen leaves from lawns later in autumn; a few do no harm, but a thick layer of leaves stops light reaching grass and promotes fungal problems that may damage fine turf.
"Remember though, fallen leaves can be useful and provide winter homes for some creatures, so sweep them into sheltered borders or add to compost bins."
You can add scarified material to compost heaps and fallen leaves for leaf mould. If you’re not familiar with the process, follow our guide on how to make leaf mould in your garden.
2. Aerate the lawn
Aerating (or spiking) your lawn helps to improve air and moisture penetration around grass roots. It is particularly useful where grassed areas are well worn or compacted.
Autumn is a perfect time for this job as the wetter conditions soon allow moisture into the soil; resulting turf will withstand subsequent periods of drought or waterlogging better.
This task is usually done in conjunction with top dressing (see below).
Use a garden fork to spike your lawn, ideally to the full depth of the tines. Move the pitchfork around to increase the size of the holes.
If you wait until conditions are frosty or the grass is very wet, you could damage your lawn.
You’re probably thinking this sounds like hard work – and it is. Luckily, most lawns only need this every two or three years. If it still sounds like too much, professional gardeners can handle this aspect of lawn care.
For really heavy soils, a hollow tined aerator is worth using – this removes small plugs of soil to allow air and water to penetrate down.
Pro tip: worried about weeds? Before you grab a herbicide, it's worth exploring whether weed killers are safe, and the alternatives you could use instead.
3. Complete top dressing
After aerating, it’s time for top dressing.
Here, we’ll apply a mix of loam (a fertile type of soil), sand and rotted organic matter to the lawn’s surface and work it into the holes formed by aeration using a broom or the back of a rake.
This process improves drainage, breaks down thatch, and feeds the lawn – so there are plenty of benefits. Top dressing should take place in the early autumn after you’ve raked and aerated the lawn.
When done right, this aids recovery from the difficulties of the summer and helps lawns cope with the upcoming winter. Ready-made mixtures are often available from garden centres.
4. Mow your lawn (but not too much!)
Have you neglected your grass during the summer? If so, now is your chance to give it a final trim and tidy – but you need to be careful with lawn mowing at this time of year.
Since grass growth slows down during the winter, there’s no need to mow over and over again. Just neaten it up with a final cut, and carefully edge and trim any messy bed and lawn edges.
Avoid cutting the grass too short or the lawn will be vulnerable to the cold.
When this happens, weeds and moss can flourish, overpowering the grass (which will be weaker during that time of year).
Phil Clayton says "With milder autumn weather, grass often continues to grow well later into the season. It’s fine to keep cutting it, but adjust your mower’s height setting to allow the turf to remain longer than in summer.
"This will cause far less stress to the lawn once cold weather does finally arrive."
Less formal, meadow-like areas of grass with wildflowers can also be given a final cut now.
5. Feed the lawn
Many lawns recover well after the summer, returning to their rich green before the onset of cold, wintry weather.
If autumn arrives and your lawn is struggling, applying lawn feed is a good call. But make sure to only use autumn lawn feed, or you could do more harm than good.
Autumn lawn feed encourages root growth through winter, which gives your lawn the strength to withstand the cold. Your local garden centres can help you pick out a suitable option.
6. Complete essential lawn repairs
Summer is a tough period for a lot of lawns.
Hot, dry weather, pets, pests, and general foot traffic all take their toll. These can lead to patchy, unkempt lawns that may not recover properly without some remedial repairs.
Luckily, autumn presents the perfect time to get your lawn back into fighting shape. If needed, you can fill out your lawn with grass seed, while autumn is the best time of year for laying turf, too.
This is also the time to root out lawn weeds, moss, and other unwanted trespassers that could cause harm throughout winter.
7. Keep off the grass
Once you’re through with your autumn lawn care, you should give the grass time to settle in for winter.
Keep off the grass – especially if it’s frosty – and only step out to rake up leaves. Letting your grass breathe will give it the best chance of surviving winter unharmed.
8. Plant more wildflowers
Autumn is a great time to convert your lawn into a less formal, pollinator-friendly meadow-like area by naturalising wildflowers, tougher perennials and bulbs.
The mild, moist conditions mean that plug plants should establish readily and many flower bulbs such as daffodils and tulips are ready for planting now.
Phil Clayton says "Converting some of your lawn into a meadow-like area is worth experimenting with as it can be rewarding, providing a more relaxed look and potentially attractign wildlife.
"It requires less mowing, which means a reduced work-load in summer, but in autumn needs attention to ensure you have a good mix of wildflowers and bulbs amid the grass."
Need a little more information about autumn lawn care? These FAQs are just what you need.
Is it too late to care for my lawn in late autumn?
Not necessarily! Like with knowing when to cut back trees, you need to be careful; but you do have a little wiggle room when it comes to autumn lawn care.
While early to mid-autumn (September to October) is ideal for most tasks, like aeration and seeding, some care can still be done into November if the ground isn’t frozen or waterlogged. You can:
Continue light raking and leaf clearance
Apply a slow-release autumn lawn feed
Tidy edges and give the lawn a final high cut, weather permitting
Just avoid heavy work like aeration or reseeding if conditions have turned too wet or cold.
What should I do with lawn clippings in autumn?
While you need to be aware of how you can handle the removal of garden waste, you can put lawn clippings to good use:
If they’re dry and free of weeds, add them to compost bins or use them as mulch for beds and borders
Alternatively, combine with autumn leaves for a well-balanced compost pile or use in making leaf mould
Avoid leaving thick layers of clippings on your lawn in autumn, as they can smother the grass and increase the risk of fungus or mould.
What if I want to leave my lawn wild for the winter?
Cultivating a wilder outdoor space is good if you're looking into how to attract birds to your garden, and a great idea for biodiversity more generally.
Here's why a wilder lawn can help:
Letting grass grow longer in patches creates a wildlife-friendly zone
Leave seed heads and fallen leaves in undisturbed areas to shelter insects and small mammals
If you care about whether garden landscaping increases home value, just make sure to clearly define borders so it looks intentional, and cut back in late winter or early spring.
Lawns get some rough treatment throughout the year, but autumn is a time when you can nurse them back to health.
By following these lawn care tips, you can help your lawn through winter, and then see it thrive the following spring.
The process is demanding – raking, spiking, and mowing are all physical tasks – but the work delivers great results.
If you don’t want the hassle of preparing your lawn yourself, professional services can help. You can find a local expert by posting a free enquiry or browsing top local gardening services today.
For more gardening help, cost guides, and money-saving tips, check out the Yell blog now.
