Giving your lawn a little attention this fall will help get your lawn off to a great start next spring. One of the best times to control hard to control weeds is in the fall prior to a hard killing frost. As long as the weeds are green and actually growing, they are storing up nutrients in the root system.
Herbicides applied to perennial weeds will move down into the root system, thus weakening the plant prior to winter. The best control occurs if the weeds are not stressed from drought and the temperature the day of application gets at least into the 60s. Fertilizer
Fall also is a great time to fertilize your lawn. A late fall fertilizer application will insure a strong fast green-up in the spring. Kentucky blue grass and perennial rye grass are common here, and, if grown in full sun, require one to four pounds of nitrogen each year.
A 50-pound bag of fertilizer with an analysis of 28-3-10 would have 14 pounds of actual nitrogen and will cover 14,000 square feet. Fertilizers come in two basic forms: water soluble nitrogen and controlled release nitrogen.
When applying a late fall application of fertilizer it's best to use the CRN formulation. Late fall fertilization should take place when shoot growth ceases and before soil freeze up.
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If you have dead and thin areas in the lawn you can over seed late this fall and early winter. To prepare area for dormant seeding, scratch area with a spring tine rake so you get better soil and seed contact. Lawn heightDuring the growing season mowing height should be about 2.5 inches. As we approach winter it's best to reduce mowing height gradually. Your lawn should enter the winter without any young tender growth. This will make the lawn less likely to get diseases such as snow mold.
When setting mowing heights it's important not to cut more than one-third of the grass blade length at a time. If the lawn height gets too long it's recommended to cut a couple of times to reduce height to the desired level, rather than cutting all at one time. Mowing direction should be altered every couple of mowings. This will prevent grass from repeatedly being pushed in one direction and lying over. Remove tree and shrub leaves from lawn prior to winter. A thick layer of leaves can be harmful to turf, especially during wet conditions. A buildup of leaves can create a mat and smother the turf. At this time of year most trees have lost the majority of their leaves, so these should be raked.
If a few more leaves drop, they can be shredded with a mulching mower. These leaves and finely chopped grass clippings eventually will decompose and add organic matter back to the lawn.
Time spent this fall preparing lawn for winter will help insure a green healthy lawn next spring.
