September is the time to turn your gardening talents to your lawn. Now is the best time
of the year for lawn care. This includes aerating, dethatching, rototilling, controlling weeds and seeding or reseeding a lawn. Since some of these projects cannot be done simultaneously decide what treatment your lawn needs and prioritize the necessary task. A little pre-planning will result in a lush beautiful lawn next spring.
If aerating and/or dethatching are required, this should be done before seeding. The lawn needs a good soaking several days before you start to aerate or dethatch.
If you need to control weeds growing in the lawn, this should be done three weeks before seeding the lawn. Fall is the time weeds begin their own preparation for the winter season. This process involves transferring their starches and nutrients from the leaves into the root system, creating the most advantageous time to apply herbicide to the lawn. As the weeds draw their own nutrients, they will also draw the herbicide into the root system, making the herbicide even more effective. The alternate plan is to seed first, allow the seeds to germinate and mow the lawn a minimum of two times before using a weed killer.
September is the optimal time to seed your lawn, whether you are seeding a new lawn or overseeding an existing, established lawn now is the time to start this project. Your local garden center is an excellent source of information. There are many new and improved varieties of superior grass seed available. For better germination and long term disease resistance, top quality grass seed is essential. Before you purchase the seed for your lawn, do a little research and decide which grass seed mix best matches your yard’s specific characteristics and needs.
Your lawn can be limed, fertilized and seeded on the same day. If necessary, you can seed and fertilize and apply lime later in the fall. Adequate moisture is a key element for successful seed germination and seedling growth. The seedbed and developing seedlings require six weeks of moisture.
Early September is also the time to overseed your lawn. Fertilizer alone will not keep a lawn lush, thick and weed free. Grass doesn’t last forever, after five or six years, it needs to be revitalized. As grass plants age, they slow down their reproduction rates, and the grass becomes thinner. As you already know, the thinner the grass, the fatter the weeds. Remember when you lawn was so thick you could not see any soil when you parted the grass blades? There is a simple test to determine if it is time to overseed your lawn. Go outside and spread the grass blades. If the soil is easily visible, it is time to overseed. Overseeding is a very important step in maintaining a healthy lawn. If you will commit to overseeding every three or four years, the natural slow down of the grass plants reproduction will be compensated for with the addition of the new grass seeds. You will be rewarded with a lawn that is thick and dense.
Before you apply the seeds, mow the overseeding area, setting the mower adjustment as low as possible. Don’t worry if this setting is low enough to scrape the soil. It is helpful to have a bagging attachment to collect the grass clippings.
The next step is a bit more labor intensive. The overseeding area must be raked thoroughly with a grass rake. Your goal is an area, free from debris, with just stubble and bare soil remaining. The grass seed cannot germinate unless it is sown directly on the soil.
As mentioned earlier, the newest grass seed varieties are more disease resistant, and will improve the overall quality of your lawn. Consult the label on the grass seed box to determine the amount of seed you will need to cover the area for overseeding. Be generous when seeding, use lots of seeds. When the grass seed is spread, it must be watered and kept moist until full germination. Keeping the grass seed moist is essential, if the seed dries out, germination will not take place. So better to have an overage of seeds to allow for seeds that do not germinate. When the old grass reaches three inches in height, it is time to mow the overseeded lawn.
To ensure a healthy lawn next spring, fertilize this fall. Your lawn will greatly benefit from at least two applications between the months of September, October, November and December. Good quality, slow release lawn food is available in several formulas. The type of fertilizer you apply will be determined by your lawn maintenance project. If you are seeding or sodding the lawn, a 14-18-14 fertilizer is the best choice. The elevated phosphorous content of 14-18-14 assists in seedling germination and the development of strong roots. November or December is the best time to follow up with an application of 24-4-12 fertilizer.
To feed your lawn over and extended period of time and improve your lawns overall health and vitality, apply 26-4-12 in September. An application of 14-18-14 in November or December will act as a root-building winterizer.
September is also a wonderful time to plant trees, shrubs, and bulbs. Fall plants enjoy cooler temperatures above ground, and the warm below ground temperatures encourage good root development. In the spring you have well established plants with roots that have had adequate time to grow into the surrounding soil. It is important to apply a starter plant fertilizer mix when planting.
Existing plants are experiencing a dormancy process as they begin to prepare for winter. Let your plants complete their summer growth cycle. Now is not the time to apply fertilizer or prune. Many of the spring flowering shrubs, such as Azaleas and Rhododendrons have already set their buds for next year’s blooms. Pruning of these plants in the fall will have a negative impact on their yield of blossoms in the spring.
Cut back on watering and stop fertilizing your trees and shrubs. By doing this, you allow them to harden off before winter.
If you moved any houseplants outside for the summer, it is time to start bringing them indoors. Be sure to check each plant carefully for pest problems. The changes in environment can be traumatic to the plants, so go slowly. The transition from full sunlight to reduced indoor lighting should be a gradual process.
How
to Seed Bare Spots And Thin Areas - Provided by Scotts
Summer heat and drought usually cause thin brown spots in
the lawn. Luckily, fall is the best time to seed and it’s
EASY! Follow these simple
steps and you’ll have a thick, green lawn.
