By Tom Dayton
With the cooler temperatures and typically more rainfall this summer, September is an excellent month for thinking about lawn repair or the installation of a new lawn. Small repairs are quite simple in that old sod is removed and the ground then worked up to a depth of about two inches. For most lawns, matching grass seed such as the Fairlawn brand mix for a sunny area would blend with the creeping fescue, bluegrass and pine bladed perennial rye grass of the Fairlawn brand.
Next, a small amount of starter fertilizer may be sprinkled on the area or better yet on the entire lawn and one that is at least a one to one ratio with nitrogen and potassium such as 10-10-10. The rate of application using a broadcast spreader is 1 lb. of actual nitrogen per 1000 ft² or 10 lbs. of 10-10-10 per one thousand square feet. Finally, Encap mulch works well to help the area from drying out prematurely. In fact, Encap mulch is free from weeds and actually sparkles when you need to water. For new lawns, old sod either must be removed or thatched heavily before seeding.
With bare ground, a soil test is the utmost priority as it will reveal if lime and/or other nutrients are needed and then they can be incorporated into the ground before seeding. A mix such as Fairlawn is sowed at the rate of 5-6 lbs. per 1000 ft² followed by an application of starter fertilizer such as 10-10-10 at 10 lbs. per 1000 feet and then finally, for large areas, one large bale of straw per 500-600 ft². All that is needed then is water to start the germination process.
As previously stated, older lawns can be over-seeded right after a thorough thatching has been accomplished and then apply the starter fertilizer as previously stated. If the lawn is quite weedy, a good method would be to kill the existing sod out with Glypsophate (Roundup) and then do the over-seeding and fertilizing without the straw. Sowing the seed requires a slit seeder that injects the seed into the ground.
For new lawns, a better seed to use would be a tall fescue lawn blend as it requires one half to one third the fertilizer, less water as it is deeply rooted and tolerates shade better than some of the other blends. In fact, research at Ohio State University concluded that the tall fescue brand grows better with no fertilizer than too much. Tall fescue blends have a larger size seed so that the seeding rate is 8 lbs. per 1000 ft². All other steps are followed in order as with the other lawn blends.
For existing lawn seeding, research again at Ohio State University concludes that fall fertilizing is more beneficial than in the spring. In fact, the common four step programs work better with a fifth step added when a wintering fertilizer is applied at the last mowing.
Typically, the last fertilizing is one high in potassium with no phosphorus and some nitrogen. Again, a University soil test is recommended to check which fertilizer might be best. So there you have it, the ABC’s of fall lawn care.