With the arrival of Labor Day and kids returning to school, it is time to get serious about fall lawn renovation. This has not been a typical summer for some of us. My mower, for example has not collected dust in the shed as in summers past. However, cool season grass such as fescue, which is the dominant turf in our area, has requirements to maintain its vigor. Below are five steps to fabulous fescue:
Have your soil tested. See my July 22, 2015 column for more details. You can view it at www.villagenewsonline.com/category/commentary/lifes-a-garden.
Aerate your lawn to reduce compaction. Use a core aerator, not a spike aerator. The core aerator removes a plug of soil allowing air and water below the surface where it can provide the most benefit. Spike aerators push a hole into the soil and actually compact the soil. Remember what you learned in elementary school, pushing is not acceptable. I recommend lowering the deck on your mower to two and half inches just this one time prior to aerating. This will allow you to skip mowing for a few days while the seed germinates.
Apply a quality tall fescue grass seed. I recommend purchasing bags of seed with at least three varieties of seed. If your turf is healthy and thick, apply one to three pounds of seed per 1,000 square feet. If your lawn has weeds that cover up to 30 percent of the surface, consider four to six pounds per 1,000 square feet. If your soil test results recommend lime is needed, apply lime after applying fertilizer.
Apply starter fertilizer at a rate of five to six pounds per 1,000 square feet. This is the second reference to pounds per 1,000 square feet. Raise your hand if you have calibrated your spreader? Anyone? Don’t guess, do your diligence. The effort it takes will pay off both financially and environmentally.
Water 10-15 minutes twice a day until the seed germinates. You can skip this step on days it rains. Germination will vary because of temperature but should take between 10-14 days. After germination, ensure your grass receives one half inch of water twice a week either by rain or irrigation until the new grass is over three inches tall.
Bonus step: Sit back and enjoy the green!
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