Looking After Your Lawn This October

🍃 1. Give your lawn its final autumn cut

• Keep mowing while the grass is growing, but raise the mower blades slightly.

• Aim for a height of around 4–5cm for a typical lawn.

• Never cut the grass too short, as this can weaken it before winter.

• Avoid mowing when the grass is frosty, frozen or very wet.

Tip: As temperatures drop, growth slows, so you may only need to mow every couple of weeks.

🌱 2. Scarify to remove moss and thatch

October can be a good time to remove the build-up of dead grass, moss and thatch, provided the lawn is growing strongly and the soil isn’t waterlogged.

• Use a spring-tine rake for light moss and thatch.

• Use a powered scarifier for more established build-up.

• Start gently, as aggressive scarifying can damage the grass.

• Collect the loosened moss and debris afterwards.

Scarifying can leave your lawn looking a little worse before it improves, so allow time for recovery while conditions are still mild.

🌿 3. Aerate compacted soil

If your lawn gets lots of foot traffic or feels hard underfoot, October is a good time to improve drainage and airflow.

• Use a garden fork to make holes around 10–15cm deep, spaced roughly 10–15cm apart.

• For badly compacted lawns, consider hollow-tine aeration, which removes small plugs of soil.

• Brush a suitable sandy top-dressing into the holes if your soil and lawn type will benefit.

This helps water, air and nutrients reach the roots, encouraging stronger grass growth.

🌾 4. Apply an autumn lawn feed

An autumn lawn fertiliser can help strengthen grass before winter.

• Choose a fertiliser labelled for autumn lawn use.

• Look for a formulation with relatively low nitrogen and adequate potassium.

• Apply according to the packet instructions, ideally before rain or water it in as directed.

• Avoid using a high-nitrogen spring or summer feed late in the season.

Don’t feed frozen, waterlogged or drought-stressed grass.

 🍂 5. Keep leaves off the lawn

Fallen leaves look beautiful, but a thick layer can block sunlight and trap moisture.

• Rake or blow leaves off the lawn regularly.

• Use collected healthy leaves to make leaf mould.

• Keep leaves away from drainage areas and lawn edges.

• Remove fallen fruit and twigs too.

A quick weekly tidy-up can make a big difference during autumn.

🌧️ 6. Improve drainage and avoid muddy patches

October rain can leave lawns soggy, particularly in heavy clay soils.

• Avoid walking on saturated grass wherever possible.

• Aerate compacted areas when the soil is moist but not soaking wet.

• Repair minor drainage issues before winter if conditions allow.

• Keep gutters and drains clear so water doesn’t run onto the lawn.

If your lawn regularly floods, aeration alone may not solve the problem; you may need to investigate the underlying drainage.

🌱 7. Repair bare patches and overseed

Early October can still be suitable for lawn repairs.

• Rake bare patches to loosen the soil.

• Sow a grass seed mix suitable for your lawn and conditions.

• Lightly cover the seed with fine compost or topsoil.

• Keep the area moist until the grass establishes.

Allow enough time for the seed to germinate and grow before cold weather arrives.