Getting your turf ready for fall......

[LwnmwnMan2]

It's that time of year where you can do so much more for your turf than any other time of the year.

You should be putting down a couple of rounds of fertilizer, one now (soon anyways) and another mid-October.

Also, if you have any weeds, spray them soon. The weed plant is storing al the energy in the root structure, and will bring the most chemical to the roots, allowing the most effective kill.

If you need to dethatch or aerate, now is a good time as wel, as springtime has overly wet soils and sometimes more damage can be done.

Lasty, many people cut their grass quite short for the last time. Some reasons are to decrease snow mold, to keep thatch from building, or even so the leaves don't stay in their yard but blow to the neighbors.

We leave our grass at normal cutting height. When you leave your grass at normal cutting height, you reduce the stress as well as leave as much of the blade intact, allowing the most sunlight and energy to reach the roots, even throughout winter, or at least as soon as the snow is gone and the ground starts to warm.

[tweedlap]

Mower,

Thanks for the timely tips !

tweed

[Ralph Wiggum]

Thanks! Trimeccing the yard tomorrow and will fertilize soon!

[paceman]

Great advice!!!!

[hanson]

What would be an appropriate fertilizer choice right now, and then again mid-October? Regular Scott's TurfBuilder?

[LwnmwnMan2]

Personally, I use the same, the thought process being that N is stored in the roots, being available for the plant in the spring.

It used to be you'd have a winterizer something along the lines 10-0-18. But now I see more and more products in the big box stores with a 24-0-10 (Vigoro at Home Depot).

It used to be you didn't want alot of N because thoughts were it promoted root growth.

Now more and more guys are going with a higher Nitrogen, getting the turf plenty of food, and then dealing with snow mold IF it happens to appear.

You will at least want something that's somewhat slow release right now, not something like straight Urea.

[lindy rig]

Is it ok to use a Menards Weed & Feed right now?

On the back of the bag it says May - July and then use regular fertilizer Aug - Sep.

I don't have much in the yard for broadleafs right now, but the reason I ask is I'd like to use up what I've got.

Thanks

[LwnmwnMan2]

You're okay. Get out there Monday / Tuesday when the next batch of rain comes through. Don't use it before this weekend as it won't have a chance to dry onto the leaf.

[paul pachowicz]

If snow mold (pink or grey) is a concern then go ahead with a normal fert app and try to get a snow mold prevention down later before the 1st big heavy long lasting snow flies. FF II or the like.

[crothmeier]

is it gypsum or garden lime that i woudl put down before snow to help with dog pee stains in the spring?? i cant remember which helped with that.

[jeffreyd]

Here were we dont have snow, my wife likes the nice green grass year round. So I did the same steps but spread rye grass seed and covered with scotts seeding soil. It has the starter fertilizer already in it. So hopefully the doves wont eat all the seed. Too bad can have an open season on dove in town, neighbors get p i ssy when i shoot them and they land in their back yards. oh well. Have a great winter season folks, I am wishing we got winter here.

[croixflats]

Not to step on any toes here but personaly if you have a healthy lawn you dont need to fertilize. You will get plenty of nutrients from the snow and early spring rains. Fertilizer is exspensive why put it down if yo dont need to to.

[LwnmwnMan2]

Not to step on any toes here but personaly if you have a healthy lawn you dont need to fertilize. You will get plenty of nutrients from the snow and early spring rains. Fertilizer is exspensive why put it down if yo dont need to to.

I agree, that you don't need to "over" fertilize, which CAN happen, but unless you have a perfect pH in your yard, most likely you need to put down SOME fertilizer.

[Steve Bakken]

Back to the dog pee question, would it be a good idea to put some gypsum or lime down right before the first snow to help offset that first initial overdose of a winter's worth of dog pee?

[crothmeier]

which works better?

[LwnmwnMan2]

FWIW, I have no first hand experiences. I usually only deal in government and commercial properties.

I'm not ignoring the question.

If I go off of what I hear others doing, I'd go with the gypsum.