Published: September 28, 2009 08:42 pm         

Fall time to tackle lawn issues

Fall is here; the evidence is in the crisp morning air, the clear, cool nights and the subtle changes in the colors of the leaves.

For many people, the coming of fall is a sigh of relief: No more lawn care until spring.

However, that is not necessarily true. In fact, fall is a time to take your lawn seriously in order to avoid potential problems that won’t show up until spring.

“There are several weeds that will come up in the winter months,” said Jeff Anderson, of Spring-Green Lawn Care of Waukomis. “The less the Bermuda (grass) has to compete with weeds, the better it will come out of dormancy in the spring.”

In fall, as the lawn grows closer to its dormant months, weed control is important, and many leaves thrive as temperatures begin to decrease. Pre-emergents can be put on the lawn to help form a barrier to any weeds that can take over dormant grass.

“You put down pre-emergents on Bermuda so the weeds will be killed as they try to come up during the winter,” Anderson said.

While the soil in Garfield County usually has plenty of potassium and phosphorus it is usually low on nitrogen, he said.

A nitrogen-based fertilizer helps increase the value of the soil. Using a heavy nitrogen fertilizer on Bermuda grass in the fall can cause spring dead spots, Anderson said. “It’s not the only thing that causes dead spots, which is a turf disease, but it is associated with it.”

It is OK to use heavy nitrogen fertilizer on fescue in the winter, Anderson said.

Fall lawn turfs may not need to be watered much in the fall, but don’t put that sprinkler away just yet.

“If there is a dry spell, it’s important to continue watering the lawn,” Anderson said. “Not as much, but it does require moisture in the fall.”

The chore of mowing soon will be off the to-do list, but for those with Bermuda grass, that last cutting should be done a little differently.

“In the fall, a general rule of thumb is to lower your mower one notch on the last cutting,” Anderson said. “We don’t want to scalp it. That just creates an environment for weeds.”

Lowering the mower one notch for a slightly shorter cut prevents some problems that can arise with winter moisture.

“If it’s left long ... it can snow or rain and it can mat, which isn’t good,” Anderson said. “That can smother any crowns that happen to be alive.”

Some of the Bermuda grass lawn may not go completely dormant in the winter because we are in a transition zone, Anderson said. If the grass is too long, matting can hinder the life grass that is not dormant.

Those with fescue lawns don’t need to worry about lowering the mower, Anderson said. Fescue can always be cut at the same height.