Garden Column for the Salisbury Post
Darrell Blackwelder
August 15, 2003

    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. Abundant rainfall during the summer provided crabgrass and other weeds ample opportunity to flourish..
    August is the month to prepare for fertilization and reseeding in the September. September is the prime month to fertilize and reseed fescue or cool season lawns in Rowan County.
    Now is the time to take a soil sample. This procedure 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. Don't bring soil samples to the Extension Office; send it via mail or UPS to Raleigh for analysis.
    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 (Roundup) kill unwanted grasses and weeds to the root. Applying at this now 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 must decide to kill the entire area or block of the area and kill in sections. Killing entire sections in blocks often works best for determining fertilizer and seed
    Grass seeds germinate on areas that are shallowly raked with a garden 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.
Darrell Blackwelder is an agricultural agent in charge of horticulture with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service in Rowan County. For archived garden columns or other information, visit the Rowan County Master Gardener web site at www.rowanmastergardener.com , e-mail Darrell_Blackwelder@ncsu.edu or phone at 704-633-0571.