|
 |
Lawn care important during fall months
|
| By: THERESE APEL, DAILY LEADER Staff Writer |
September 15, 2009 |
|
 |
Photo By THERESE APEL
Local lawn mower Sam Brister cuts the grass in a yard on Avenue A Monday afternoon. He said the lawn care business generally starts to drop off in late October, when the grass turns brown. Some horticulture experts say there are ways to maintain a healthy lawn year-round.
|
When Jeremy Kirkland stopped by the store Monday, he wasn't sure what he was looking for, but he knew he wanted something to keep the grass green as the winter months approach.
|
"I guess we're going to have to plant rye grass or something. I was hoping there was something I could sprinkle on the grass that would keep it in shape," he said with a laugh.
Kirkland is not unlike a lot of lawn owners who are looking for an answer to keeping their yards attractive through the winter. As the fall and winter set in, grass begins to turn dormant, MSU Extension Service Director Rebecca Bates said, and some people want to keep a green lawn all year round.
One way to do that, she said, is to overseed with rye grass, like Kirkland mentioned.
"It's a winter grass, it's a cool season grass," she said. "It's an overseed, so if you've already got an established summer lawn, then you overseed that lawn with rye grass in the fall, it germinates, it's green, and you mow it - you treat it just like a summer lawn, then when it warms up it starts to die."
The overseed process is one that can be done every year, Bates said. And there are other fall preparations to make to keep a lawn healthy and maintained around the calendar.
"You'll usually want to back off on the fertilizer, and use some weed control and fire ant control," Bates said. "Look out for problems with fall brown patch; spring and fall are major times that brown patch becomes a problem."
Brown patch, which is a fungal infestation, can be made worse by overfertilization with nitrogen, watering the grass late in the evening, and allowing thatch buildup in the lawn. Bates said it can be treated with antifungal products.
Bates said that now is also the perfect time to add lime to the lawn to begin working to establish the correct pH balance going into the winter months.
"This is an excellent time to be taking a soil sample for your lawn. If you want to lime your lawn, fall is the perfect time to do it, because it takes two to three months to react," she said. "When your grass is coming out of dormancy in the spring your pH levels should be good."
Meanwhile, Sam Brister has had a lawn mowing business for two years. He said if this year is anything like last year, his business will drop off sometime in late October or early November.
"Pretty much when you see the grass is turning brown, that's when people quit wanting it cut," he said.
But Bates said it never hurts to even mow the lawn through the winter to keep the weeds down.
"The only reason to mow in the winter is if you have winter weeds that have germinated. If you mow before they go to seed, it will help you for the next year," Bates said, adding that the calendar at www.MSUcares.com can help with seasonal directives.
The Web site advocates mowing during the winter, stating "keep your lawn mowed closely at recommended heights for your type of lawn grass. Most winter weeds cannot tolerate close mowing and will be stressed, damaged, or even killed by mowing heights used on warm-season lawns."
And while it's hard to tell exactly when to go back to the spring maintenance routine, Bates said a good gauge for those who don't mow through the winter is when the lawn has needed two mowings.
|
|
©The Daily Leader 2009
|
|
|
