Autumn Turf Tips

Pamper your lawn in fall to promote a lush green carpet in spring

I tell my radio receiver auditor that autumn is the best time of the year to work on their turf . That ’s when cool temperature return , the dirt is still warm , rainfall is firm , and the competition for nutrients from weeds is relatively scummy . These weather not only bolster turf development , but also facilitate heal the wounds lawns may have tolerate during a spicy , dry summertime . Other problems that affect turf health , like soil crunch and the build - up of thatched roof , are also best remedied in fall . A maintenance program that includes aerating , fertilize , removing thatched roof , and spraying gage in the drop will ensure that your lawn front good come springiness .

Create pockets for air, water, and nutrients

human foot traffic compacts the dirt underneath turf and throttle the flow of piddle and nutrient to turf etymon . The best direction to open up up pack territory is to make ingress points for air , urine , and fertiliser with a essence aerator . Similar in sizing to a lawn lawn mower , a core aerator has a serial of tines mount onto a rotating tympan . Since this machine costs between $ 5,000 and $ 10,000 to buy , I rent one alternatively for $ 50 a day .

There are two type of aerating tine , and greensward professional person are still debating which works best . Current opinion is that hollow tine , which remove plugs of turf , root , and filth , are best used to air constrict clay soils . upstanding , spikelike tine that poke holes in the sward but do n’t remove stopple are best used to oxygenate arenaceous dirt .

I usually aerate my lawn before long after Labor Day . My filth is ponderous clay , so I expend a empty - can aerator . I leave the extracted plugs of sens and soil on the lawn for a few daytime to dry before I pulverize the plugs the next time I pout . The chopped soil will strain through the turf and reconcile on top of any Edward Thatch that has accumulated . This is beneficial since the micro-organism in the land help to break down the Teach . There ’s no doubt that aeration is a destructive process , as each wad contains viable root and turf , but done once a year , it is more good than prejudicious .

Apply a fertilizer to promote strong roots

In twilight , turf grass conduct its energy into etymon growth rather than bow growth , so any nutrients apply then avail grass plants build potent beginning systems . Although many gardener trust nitrogen promotes only root word growth , nitrogen applied in fall assist settle down growth as well . Since turf stem stay to grow until the land freezes , sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas in my area , I make the first of my two descent applications around Labor Day , and the 2d a duet of months later .

Although I fertilize my lawn twelvemonth - round with a slow - liberation fertilizer with the N - P - K ratio of 28 - 3 - 6 , inquiry studies have point that the last program in the fall is the most crucial . Nutrients applied then are stash away in the sod ’s crowns , rhizomes , stolons , and roots and utilise when favorable produce precondition resume in outflow . I like to clock this app program as my turf come out to go dormant and harden off for the winter , which , in my sphere , is usually around Halloween . The amount of fertiliser I apply depends on the meter of year I ’m apply it .

How much fertilizer does a lawn need?

The two motion I am most often asked about lawn plant food covering are how much fertilizer to implement and how often to apply it . How often is an gentle question to answer : I fecundate on or around Tax Day ( April 15 ) , Memorial Day , Labor Day , and Halloween .

Determining how much plant food to spread is a lilliputian more complicated . To calculate the exact amount I need to bribe , I have to roll in the hay three numbers : the amount of nitrogen I require to disseminate per 1,000 square feet , the full square footage of my lawn , and the percentage of N contained in the fertilizer I ’m planning to spread .

The amount of atomic number 7 I go around depends on the time of year . There is a general guideline I apply , free-base on Irish pound of nitrogen apply per 1,000 substantial feet of lawn : ½ Egyptian pound on Tax Day , 1 pound on Memorial Day and Labor Day , and 1½ pound at Halloween .

Since I consider the Halloween app program to be the most authoritative , I ’ll use that as an example . My lawn measures 5,000 straight animal foot , and at that time I want to spread 1½ dog pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet of my lawn . The plant food I ’m spreading has an NPK proportion of 28 - 3 - 6 , or 28 percent nitrogen . To determine the amount of 28 - 3 - 6 fertiliser I need to bribe for my lawn , I stop up those numbers into the following formula :

( Ezra Loomis Pound per 1,000 sq . ft . ÷ N% ) × full square footage of lawn/1,000 = amount of fertilizer

Example:(1.5 ÷ 0.28 ) × ( 5,000 ÷ 1,000 ) = 27 hammering of 28 - 3 - 6 plant food

The various sources of atomic number 7 affect growing pace and verdure of sward differently , so I match a fertilizer ’s label for the nitrogen source before corrupt it . I expect for fertilizers whose nitrogen is derived from sulfur - coated carbamide , water - insoluble nitrogen ( WIN ) , or ureaformaldehyde . Fast - release product such as ammonium ion nitrate , urea , or ammonium ion sulphate leaching out of the grease quickly . Organic sources of nitrogen like feather meal , bone meal , and animal manure are best used for the Labor Day lotion when warm grease temperatures can more easily go against them down to exhaust the nitrogen .

Remove thatch with a power rake

A innate consequence of healthy turf development is thatch , which is the layer of dead and choke plant crowns , protective rhizome case , and similar works tissues find out between the dirt line and the bottom of the turf blade . ( Contrary to popular belief , thatch is not made up of grass and leaf clip , which are 85 percent urine and readily break down once issue with a mower . ) An excessive amount of thatch is detrimental to the health of your lawn . If grass grows too dense , its solution tend to arise into the thatch alternatively of into the soil . Since thatch does n’t hold food and water , it can not provide the nutrient and moisture turf want .

When the thatch in my lawn measures more than 1/2 to 5/8 column inch thick , I use a power slant to remove it . alike in size to a lawn lawn mower , a baron roue has a series of vertical blades that rip out Blackbeard when wind over a lawn . I suggest that you rent several teenagers to facilitate with this job , since the machine is heavy and there ’s a lot of Edward Teach to rake up later . I rent one for $ 50 a day .

Like aerating , power raking is riotous , so I do it shortly after Labor Day to give sward roots enough meter to recover before wintertime arrives . Manual raking can also be effective at removing thatch , but it is a labor - intensive job and is only effective if you use a specially designed thatch roue . Unlike aerating , removing the thatch may not be an one-year projection . It all count on how quickly Edward Teach progress up .

In fall, mow lower and less often

In summer , I raise the level of my mower blade because tall grass blade produce a canopy that shadow crowns from sunlight and encourages abstruse root word ontogenesis . In fall , I lower the blade stratum and cut my grass shorter because shorter blade allow the grass to digest on root increase . I mow Kentucky bluegrass , recurrent ryegrass , and all right leaf fescue lawn at 3 in during the summer and at 2 inches in fall , whereas I mow greensward - character tall fescue grass at 3½ to 4 inches in summertime and 2½ to 3 in in fall . Also , as fall progresses and my lawn pop to go torpid , I mow less often .

Cutting your weed too short is one of the spoiled thing you’re able to do to your lawn . When cut down , I postdate the “ one - third rule , ” no matter what time of year it is . This rule state that only one - third of the vegetation ( from the soil bank line to the leaf tips ) should be polish off at each mowing . For case , if a 2 - inch height of cut is hope , I pout when the turf growth reaches 3 inch . I expend my rule to determine when to mow .

I do n’t bag my clipping . If they ’re not too long , mulched grass clippings percolate back into the turf canopy without detracting from the beauty of the lawn or increase the Edward Teach layer . Even if you use a side - discharge mower instead of a mulching mower , cuttings should not take away from a lawn ’s appearance as long you follow the one - third rule .

Reseed bare spots after aerating and thatching

source to soil inter-group communication is essential when sow supergrass seeded player , so right after you ’ve aerated and rake is a good time to sow any unsheathed spots in your lawn . When seed , I wish to inseminate the same kind of germ as the grass that ’s already uprise . If a lawn is predominantly Kentucky bluegrass , sowing the seed of ameliorate cultivar of the same type of grass will add to the genetic diversity of the lawn while increase its disease resistance . Introducing another metal money tends to produce a observably unlike texture . The elision is fine Festuca elatior , which is often added to lawns to increase its shade tolerance .

Fall is also the best time to reseed a sparsely growing lawn . The amount of cum I spread depends on the case of smoke I ’m make out with . I sow Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass at a rate of 1 to 2 pounds per 1,000 straightforward substructure , fine Festuca elatior at 2 to 3 hammer per 1,000 satisfying feet , and turf - character tall Festuca elatior at 4 to 5 pounds per 1,000 substantial foot . I then water the lawn light and frequently .

Control diseases and weeds

The coolheaded temperature and moist experimental condition of declination can encourage the development of several fungous disease , admit leaf maculation , stripe smut , rust , and powdery mould . To champion against these problems , I prune my trees and shrub to increase air circulation over my lawn , and irrigate it only in the break of the day hours . The good defence against disease is to uprise a thick sizeable sod that naturally resists these fungal infection .

While broadleaf weeds such as dandelion , plantain tree , and white trefoil are gluttons for soil food during the entire growing season , they are peculiarly busy in gloaming , collecting them up for wintertime storage . The good thing is that any weedkiller applied at this time will be as vigorously collected . For a lawn full of weed , I commend a “ weed and feed ” type of product like Scotts Turf Builder Plus 2 . But for lawns that have only a few dope here and there , I would recommend spot - spraying them with a broad - spectrum herbicide such as Weed - type B - Gon or Trimec . To do this , I use a 1 - gallon , pressurized tank sprayer that keeps the spraying low to the ground to protect my valuable ornamental from drift . As always , be certain to read and stick to the label directions when using any herbicide .

A lawn can be an integral part of a garden . Whether it covers an talkative arena or is just a little patch , your turf grass deserve the same sort of pampering you give your perennial , annuals , shrubs , and Tree . With a few hours of work in crepuscule , you may set the groundwork for a plushy green carpet that will make your total garden look better add up springtime .

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