Repairing Dead Patches And Caring For Your Lawn In The Fall
Is your lawn full of dead spots from the heat of the summer sun
? It is time to fix them and get your yard looking fabulous for the beauty of the fall.
Bare patches in the lawn or sections of dead grass need to be repaired to avoid opportunistic weeds that will take root in the soil. Weak or dead grass also is an open invitation to insects or disease.
Late summer and early fall are the best times to sow grass seed because temperatures usually are more moderate and the soil is more evenly moist. First, remove the dead grass, exposing the soil.
Rough up the soil with a garden rake. Poor preparation of the soil will greatly diminish seed germination.
The most common mistake people make when they buy grass seed is selecting according to price rather than quality. Certain grass seed has been proven to have improved disease and insect resistance, greater tolerance of drought, heat, traffic, and cold, and a better recovery from pest or stress damage.
As a result, the yard requires less maintenance because the overall health of the grass is better. Read and follow the label directions.
Lightly rake in the seed so that it makes good contact with the soil. After sowing seed, apply seed accelerator, a specially formulated starter fertilizer that promotes strong root development, and helps maintain moisture in the soil so that seeds germinate in less time.
The product holds four times its weight in water, releasing it slowly to keep seedlings hydrated between watering. Accelerator has a lightweight, paper mulch that helps hold germinating seeds in place.
The paper gradually disintegrates and does not have to be removed, unlike straw, a commonly used mulch when sowing grass seed. A common mistake is allowing the newly planted area to get dry, which will kill the seedlings.
Water newly seeded areas as needed so that the top two inches are kept moist. Once the grass gets about 2 inches tall, you can start to cut back on watering.
Mow when the new grass is about 4 inches tall, removing only the top inch. A common mistake in mowing the area is cutting it too short.
After the area has been mowed once, apply a fall fertilizer. The area should be kept at the 3- to 4-inch height.
September is the most important month for fertilizing the lawn. November is the second most important.
Turf is the last plant in the landscape to go dormant in winter and one of the earliest to break dormancy in spring. Most of the plant's root development occurs in these cooler temperatures.
When it comes to fall lawn fertilizer, the critical ingredient is the type and amount of nitrogen in the mix. Nitrogen is a key element to overall plant health.
Nitrogen helps plants stay green, and encourages plant cell development and strengthens roots. However, it moves or dissipates quickly through the soil, which is why slow-release nitrogen is an important ingredient in fall fertilizers.
Slow-release nitrogen releases the nutrient in a controlled, steady manner. Because it releases slowly, more of the nitrogen is absorbed by the plant.
This is better for the plant and better for the environment. A fall fertilizer mix should have at least 30 percent slow-release nitrogen, according to most county extension agents.
In September, apply fall fertilizer. Forty percent of the nitrogen is a slow-release nitrogen that is designed for soil temperatures above 50 degrees.
This fertilizer provides 12 weeks of fall feeding for the lawn, helping to repair summer damage and bolstering root development. In November, fertilizer to prepare your lawn for the winter weather.
This late fall fertilizer is specially formulated to feed the grass until the ground freezes. With 90 percent slow-release nitrogen, it works for up to 16 weeks.
As the ground thaws in the spring, the remaining fertilizer is taken up by the roots for a quicker spring green-up. Your yard will be beautiful for the fall and the winter, depending upon where you live.
You can keep up your area no matter what time of year it is. All it takes is some simple planning and care.
by: Tom Selwick
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