Garden Column for the Salisbury Post
Darrell Blackwelder
August 3, 2001

	I was giving my lawn a close look before coming to work this
morning and observed quit a fair amount of crabgrass and other
weeds splotched in with my fescue. Lack of rainfall during the
past few seasons have taken a toll on most lawns throughout Rowan
County, mine is no exception. Without sufficient rainfall
indeginous weeds easily move in and can easily overtake a lawn.
	August is the month to prepare for fertilization and
reseeding in the September.  September is the prime month to
fertilze and reseed fescue or cool season lawns in Rowan County.
	There is still time to take a soil sample. This service
eliminates the guesswork in determining the amount of lime and
other nutrients needed for maximum growth.  The North Carolina
Department of Agriculture provides this as a free service to
residents of North Carolina.  The sample kits are available from
the Cooperative Extension Office.  Residents don't bring soil
here, but send it via mail or UPS to Raleigh for analysis.
Samples should be taken from home lawns every 2 to 3 years.
	Weeds seem to be the number one problem in a fescue lawn. In
some instances, if the lawn is mostly weeds, its best to kill the
entire lawn and start over.  Herbicides containing glyphosate
such as Roundup kill unwanted grasses and weeds to the root.
This should be done in mid August.  Applying at this time gives
the homeowner a chance to reapply to areas missed by the first
spray. Lawns that are completely killed are easy to till making a
better seedbed for emerging grass seed.
	Those with splotches like have have must decide to kill the
entire area or block of the area and kill in sections.  Usually
blocking off a rectangular section works best for most.
	Grass seed will germinate on areas that are simply raked
shallowly with a bow rake, however, germination is best when a
tiller is used turn the soil at least 3-5 inches deep.  The loose
seedbed allows better penetration of roots during the growing
season.  Rake the soil smooth and remove any large clods or rocks
as you till.  The fluffed soil is difficult to seed and fertilize
at times as your feet and push seeders often sink into the  soft,
newly tilled soil leaving deep tracks or wheel ruts.  You can
rent a roller and firm the soil after seeding to make it smooth,
however, in a few weeks after the seed germinate, sunken tracks
and ruts will disappear.
	Renovation time is just a few weeks away.  The seeding
window for fescue and other cool season grasses is fairly narrow
so those that plan to renovate this fall need to prepare this
month. Time has a way of slipping up on each fall.