Autumn is here and it is time to transition from pools to football, beaches to deer stands and boats to fireplaces. The landscapes know that cooler weather is on the way and have begun their gradual slow down.

I have a five-part to-do list to help your yard swing into fall gracefully. All you'll need is weed preventative, pruning shears and a lawn mower.

In our lawns, September 15th is our go to date for our fall application of pre-emergence for cool season weeds. Annual blue grass (Poa annua), henbit, dandelions and the dreaded lawn burweed can run amuck in the winter, so get the weeds before these weeds get you.

I like 0-0-7 Weed Preventers as a pre-emergence because it has 7% potassium to go along with a good general-purpose herbicide. Potassium is good for root health and our soils seem to constantly need replenishment of this element. There are a gazillion other pre-emergence on the market, so if you have been battling a particular winter weed for a while, give another product a try this year.

It is time to quit adding nitrogen fertilizers to your warm season grasses. Lawns are ready to begin dormancy, so any nitrogen can induce a flush, which can hurt your lawn if we get an early frost. You can get a little more time out of the lawns if you raise your blade on your mower about ½ of an inch.

Ryegrass does well in Augusta's fall and winter, but I don't recommend you overseed your lawn unless you have a ball field or a grazing pasture. It competes with the overall health of existing turf and creates a headache come spring. If you are planning on overseeding any other grass but bermudagrass, get rid of those thoughts. Bermudagrass is the only type that can tolerate it. 

Campbell Vaughn:This holiday plant is actually one you should kiss goodbye

If you don’t listen to my recommendations and do decide to apply winter rye, the next few weeks are ideal to get your lawn prepped. But that preparation does not include weed control. Do not apply pre-emergence to your grass. Let me say that again, do not apply any pre-emergence at all. Ignore what I told you in the first part. You are playing by different rules.

Your preparation is to mow the bermudagrass lower than normal over the next two cuttings. Bag your clipping and never cut off more than one-third of the grass blade. Mid-September to mid-October is the time to actually apply the seed. Make sure the turf is free of debris so the rye seed can make good contact with the soil.

Perennial ryegrass is preferred over an annual variety. Perennial rye is treated like an annual, but it has better turf properties including good wear tolerance, quicker germination and a darker green color. It may cost a little more, but it is worth the few extra dollars.

Use a rate of 8-10 pounds of seed per 1000 square feet. Make sure to keep the soil moist until the seed is completely germinated even if this means watering lightly once or even twice daily. Wait until November when the bermudagrass has gone dormant to fertilize. Using 2 - 4 lbs. of nitrogen per 1000 square feet is all the fertilizer you will need.

Keep your mower at the ready because you will need it.

Be mindful of pruning. Mop head hydrangea are ideally pruned the first of August, but you can probably get away with cutting them back now. I wouldn’t butcher them, but pruning out some leggy areas should be fine.

Don’t you dare cut oakleaf hydrangea back. I will personal come to your house and give you a look of disappointment with a possible shake of my head noting my disapproval. I personally don’t like ever cutting oakleaf hydrangea back unless they are way outgrowing their space.

Campbell Vaughn:Fall tasks could include pruning, dividing, planting

Azaleas, gardenias and camellias have set their buds for spring blooms, so only selective prune diseased and unruly limbs. I prefer to avoid heavy pruning on plants evergreen plants like cleyera, ligustrum, boxwoods and pittosporum this time of year because when they do get a good flush, the tender new leaves are susceptible to damage from a hard freeze.

You might be okay for now, but don’t wait too much longer.

The last of the list of five is to find a good pre-emergence to add to your flower and shrub beds. Products like Preen, Amaze and Barricade do a great job of keeping your beds weed free.

I see as much as 85% reduction in annual weeds when these pre-emergence herbicides are applied in timely manners. Now being one of those times.

Yard work isn’t quite done yet. These items will help avoids some messes that will show their heads come spring.

It's not a bad time to be out there, either. The weather has been fairly mild compared to some of the miserably hot Labor Days of the past few years. I will call it a blessing.

Reach Campbell Vaughn, the UGA Agriculture and Natural Resource agent for Richmond County, by e-mailing augusta@uga.edu.