Having a better Lawn starts now!

Wow what a grass growing season we have just been through.  I am, at this point, so tired of being on my mower that first frost can't come fast enough.  Though this has been a good growing season for turf, weeds have seen their glory day as well.  During this post I will outline some of the steps you should take this fall to ensure a quality lawn come next spring.

• Keep mowing until the turf quits growing.  This not only keeps crabgrass from going to seed and adding to that problem but also continues to promote tillering (branching at the crown) in the turf clumps.
• If you need to reseed now is the time to do so.  Just remember that to be successful there needs to be good soil to seed contact.  This means roughing up the soil, adding the seed and then rolling or raking the seed into the soil.  You may also use one of the one pass pieces of equipment that is designed to do all steps in one pass. For more in depth information on reseeding see:  Improving Turf through Renovation
• After the first frost you can begin looking at weed control.  If you have seeded the lawn in September then you will need to put some time between the seeding and the weed control.  The label of your product will guide you on the waiting period.  Oct. and November are good times to control many broadleaved weeds.  Weeds like dandelion, henbit, chickweed, and many other broadleaved weeds germinate in the fall and develop through the winter.  Therefore, fall is the best time to nip the problem in the bud before they become a problem in the spring.  For more information on what to use for control methods see:  Weed Control for Kentucky Home Lawns
• Finally fertilization will be crucial for great turf next spring.  Fall again is the best time of year to deliver fertility to your turf.  The best way to decide on what to apply is to begin with a soil test.  This will ensure there is no waste of fertilize and that the plants get what they need.  Take a look at: How to take a good soil test.    

As you all know this will go down as a summer to remember (or forget). Not only has the summer been unbearable lest we forget about the April cold blast that left our plant material in tatters. Our hope then was to have a normal summer so that trees and shrubs could recover their stores of carbohydrates before the onset of winter. That has likely not happened. Unfortunatley we will be dealing with the loss of old and young trees for several years to come as a result of the this most unlikely weather.

This fall you should prepare to fertilize all plant material once a killing frost has occurred. A soil sample will help deterimine what we need to apply however if that is not done 10 lbs of 10-10-10 per 1000ft2 twice this fall six weeks apart will help significantly. If you have the water resources it will only benefit if you can apply 1inch of water per week to any and all trees and shrubs.