It’s September. It’s still hot, but your landscape looks great because you’ve cared for it all summer. But don’t stop now – after all, it’s time to winter-proof your turf!
Without good care in September, a once-beautiful lawn may not be so pretty again come spring.
Photo Credit: David L. Morgan
Don’t wait until all the leaves have fallen to fertilize your lawn – the grass needs to be fed when it’s actively growing.
Photo Credit: David L. Morgan
Overseeding is a great way to keep your grass green all winter and revitalize spots that need new life.
Photo Credit: David L. Morgan
If you live in a region where cool-season turf is used, lawns take on a lovely green color in winter.
Photo Credit: David L. Morgan
Why now? Because if you don’t, you may not get that great-looking lawn next spring. More than any other perennial in your landscape, your turfgrass needs preparation for fall and winter. This is the final tune-up before the cooler weather sets in: You need to make certain your lawn is fertilized, well-watered and free of diseases, insects and weeds. Then you can relax when that chilly weather arrives. Here are some suggestions to get you started:
Don’t let your grass show signs of “hunger” this time of year (color loss, twisting leaves and unusual sprouting of seedheads). Instead, give it a shot of fertilizer to carry it into the dormant season in good health. Just be careful not to over-apply, as you may encourage thatch to develop. And be sure to read and follow the recommendations for your area on the fertilizer bag.
If you have warm-season turfgrass (St. Augustine, Bermuda grass, hybrid Bermuda, zoysia, centipede or buffalograss), apply the appropriate fertilizer in September. These grasses grow best in hot weather. If yours is a cool-season turf (rye, fescue or bluegrass), wait to feed it until late fall, during cooler weather when those grasses grow most actively. Then fertilize again in winter.
Fall fertilizers should be high in nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) and have low to no phosphorus (P). A ratio of 2-1-2 (N-P-K) or 1-0-1 is recommended for most Southwestern lawns. And look for the nitrogen portion of the fertilizer to be a combination of fast- and slow-release forms for the production of carbohydrates. These carbohydrates are stored in the turf roots for use in early spring to help green up the lawn – and as an energy source for the turfgrass during winter stress. In fact, nitrogen is so important, you might consider applying 1 pound of it per 1,000 square feet of lawn. Again, look on the fertilizer bag for regional recommendations.
No matter how your fertilize, don’t forget to water. As the days cool and grasses go dormant, we often need to be reminded that certain metabolic activities continue in the roots when the soil is 40 degrees F or higher – and they need that water to function. Though rainfall is more common in the fall than in summer, keep an eye on precipitation. If it falls below average, drag out the water hose or turn on the sprinklers. Fall/winter desiccation is one of the great killers of turfgrass in the Southwest.
You may have heard a lot about scalping and dethatching as part of a turfgrass-care program. They’re important, but the terms can be confusing. Scalping refers to the removal of winter-killed blades and other grass stubble left over from cold weather. You can do this simply by the lowering your lawn mower blade a notch or two and cutting the lawn extra-short. Scalping is purely aesthetic; it won’t help your lawn green up faster, but it will let the new green growth show up earlier in the spring. (It’s important to know that scalping doesn’t remove thatch.)
Dethatching, on the other hand, is a useful practice that can give new life to a troubled lawn. Thatch accumulates as dead organic matter between the grass runners and the soil line. If you don’t keep thatch in check, it’ll become a nearly impenetrable barrier to water and fertilizer. Dethatching is not for all lawns, however. It works well for Bermuda grass because it recovers quickly, but St. Augustine grass shouldn’t be dethatched since it grows entirely by runners that would be in the path of the dethatcher’s blades. The key to successful dethatching is knowing your grass.
If your lawn can’t handle dethatching, definitely core-aerate it. Aerators pull plugs of thatch and topsoil from the lawn, giving grass a number of advantages: Removing these little plugs of soil allows water to get to the roots, provides de-compaction in areas of heavy traffic and removes thatch. Scalping and dethatching warm-season grass are generally spring activities, but aeration can be done any time of the year. If you didn’t aerate this past spring or summer, early fall’s the time to do it.
I also have to touch briefly on the practice of overseeding. Some Southwesterners prefer to have green lawns throughout the year, and so they plant either fescue – a cool-season turfgrass that goes dormant, yet stays green in summer – or they overseed their warm-season turf with another species, generally selecting ryegrass. If you’re of that persuasion, it’s time to overseed.
Annual rye is much less expensive than perennial ryegrass, but it’s also more demanding. It grows luxuriantly and requires mowing every 2 or 3 days in spring, as well as occasionally in winter. Perennial rye, on the other hand, isn’t really a perennial in most of the Southwest. It dies out in the first hot days of spring. While more expensive, it’s got a finer texture and requires much less mowing. Many people consider it more attractive than annual rye, but whichever type you choose, you’ll have to reseed annually for that green winter lawn.
Finally, I can’t talk about winter turf care without considering those nefarious red imported fire ants. As you may already know, these invaders have crept up from the Gulf Coast area into much of the Southwest, and they’re a serious problem in our parks and landscapes. They overwinter along sidewalks, in electrical boxes and near the south sides of buildings, where they can survive under the warmth of the winter sun. Don’t expect these pests to browse like they did in the spring. Instead, they’ll tunnel underground and reappear when the weather is favorable.
So, while you may have treated their mounds successfully in spring with baits, this time of year don’t expect them to, well, take the bait. You’ll have to address individual ant hills with mound-treatment products instead. Look for any of these ingredients in your choice of fire ant insecticides: bifenthrin, cyfluthrin, d-limonene, deltamethrin, spinosad, carbaryl, pyrethrins, acephate, permethrin and rotenone.
Just remember: September is the time for winter lawn care. Do the best you can for your lawn this month, and you’re sure to be rewarded with a healthy, green turf come spring!
