With the cool fall weather and some rain in recent weeks, grass growth has slowed significantly in Greater Columbus, and most homeowners are happy to leave their mowers in the garage.
As it gets colder, the amount of daylight decreases and the need for lawn care decreases, usually ending when the ground freezes. But cooler weather and shorter days in late fall don't mean lawn care is out of the question. In fact, late fall is one of the best times of year to improve your lawn, when time, sweat, and a few lawn care products will result in a healthy, green, thick lawn by spring. next. .
Fall is the time when cool-season grasses recover from summer stresses such as drought, heat, and disease, and when the lawn begins to store carbohydrates in stems and rhizomes. These carbohydrate stores help the grass fight winter damage and disease and, more importantly, provide energy for root and shoot growth next spring.
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Fertilizing in late fall enhances the plant's winter color, quickly turns green in early spring, and promotes root growth. Late fertilization is more important to lawn health than spring fertilization, which is practiced by most gardeners.
Autumn fertilization time.
The best time to apply late season lawn fertilizer is around Thanksgiving or early December when the grass has stopped growing or is at the stage where mowing is not necessary. Although the leaves and shoots of herbaceous plants have drastically reduced their growth rate during this time, the roots are still actively growing, allowing the plants to make the most of the available fertilizers in the soil. Fertilizers are usually applied after mowing at the end of the season, but never after the ground has frozen.
Selection of a mixture of fertilizers.
Most lawns require 2 to 4 pounds of nitrogen (N) per 1,000 square feet during the cool season, and most of this nitrogen should be applied twice in the fall, once in September and once in November. If you missed the September application window, don't worry, you'll only receive one application this month.
A complete fertilizer with a high nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) content is essential for root growth, winter hardiness and disease resistance. The ideal fertilizer mix should have a nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK) ratio of 24-4-12.
When purchasing lawn fertilizer, you may find that some fertilizer manufacturers have completely removed phosphorus (P) from some Ohio fertilizers, and environmental damage occurs when excess phosphorus washes into surface waters such as streams and lakes. If you can't buy a complete lawn fertilizer that contains nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, choose a fertilizer that only contains nitrogen and potassium, as these are the two nutrients that most grasses need at this time of year.
Lawn weed control
November is also a good time to deal with many annual weeds. Populations of winter annual weeds such as purple grass, hairy mustard, drupe and common gorse seem to have exploded in Greater Columbus in recent years. These cold-hardy weeds are now in their germination stage in Greater Columbus, and treating them with herbicides at this stage of growth can be an effective method of removing them from pits before they become green next spring. Other annual weeds such as dandelions, plantains and even clover can also be controlled in late fall while these plants are still actively growing.
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Lawn herbicide applications are best made during the day when temperatures are 50 degrees F or higher, so be sure to keep an eye on the weather forecast when planning your application this month. Always use ethereal forms of lawn herbicides in the fall because they are more effective than amine forms in cooler climates.
So put on your warmest hoodie, find a compost spreader behind your garden shed, and give your lawn nutrients at the time of year it needs them most: late fall and early winter.
Mike Hogan is an associate professor at The Ohio State University and lecturer in Continuing Education at The Ohio State University.
hogan.1@osu.edu
This article originally appeared in The Columbus Dispatch: Fall fertilization and lawn care tips to ensure a lush spring yard.
