Don't give up on your lawn!

While it's true that many of our lawns are looking pretty dismal and dry by the end of August, it's not too late to give up on lawn maintenance. Lawn care and maintenance in in Massachusetts in late August through September should focus on:

•Dethatching and aerating with a core aerator.
Ground soil should be soft for aerating to break up any areas where soil may be getting compacted from heavy summer foot traffic. Now that the majority of summer activity is winding down (cookouts, soccer games, excessive sun and drought), it's a good idea to remove thatch that may have built up and aerate compacted areas of your grass. 

•Fertilizing and seeding.
Apply a slow-release, organic fertilizer to the outer edges of your lawn, followed by the middle. Because you're feeding nutrients to your grass via fertilizer at a time of rapid growth, you may have to mow more frequently afterward. This is also a good time to over-seed your lawn. 

•Spreading weed-and-feed over your entire lawn or spot-spraying weeds.
Weed-and-feed products combine fertilizer and herbicides to do two jobs at once. You may run the risk of over fertilizing if you use excessive weed-and-feed and fertilize your entire lawn as well. If you have only a few weeds, try pulling them or spot spraying with an herbicide or lime juice and vinegar.