Garden Column for the Salisbury Post

Darrell Blackwelder

September 5, 2003

Fall is an excellent time to renovate cool season fescue and bluegrass lawns. With the return of rain, many are considering total lawn makeovers. The subject of fall lawn care cannot be summarized in one garden column so I am focusing the next couple of articles basic turf cultural practices. However, below are mistakes that seem to haunt us all when we renovate our lawns.

Basic misunderstanding about cool season turf growth habits. Fescue and fescue/bluegrass blends are cool season lawns that grow best in fall and winter and in early spring. One must understand growth habits of fescue and other cool season grasses to grow them correctly.

Improper measurements Often, when I ask about the size of a lawn, most guess that their yard is about one acre. It is impossible to determine how much seed, fertilizer or water if you don't have a grasp of the size you're tried to maintain. Most over apply seed and under apply fertilizer.

No Soil Sampling-Most people guess when applying fertilizers, especially lime. Applying lime each year as a standard practice can raise the pH to unacceptable levels for fescue growth. Over liming can be a serious problem. This is a free service provided by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture of which very few take advantage.

Poor Mowing Practices-many homeowners often mow their lawns too close. Three and half inches are normal for fescue lawns. Seed companies will often promote low mowing heights of their turf type grass varieties promoting mowing as close as 2 inches. But, I have never seen a fescue lawn do well mowed this close, especially during a hot, dry or even wet summer. Dull blades can make beautiful lawn ugly and sharp blades and make a fair lawn look great. The majority of people I speak to have never sharpened their mower blades. Blades need to be sharpened about once or twice a month.

Inconsistent maintenance-Fescue lawns respond best to consistent maintenance in the spring and fall. If there is one aspect of lawn care that will make your lawn look best is consistent care, especially fertilization and weed control. Those that chose not to be consistent will have poor lawns.

Water-One to two inches a week in most instances is sufficient for fescue lawns. Shallow watering or over-watering can be a problem. Watering at night aggravates fungal disease problems.

Wrong Seed-Some think if you blend annual ryegrass with fescue helps establish fescue. Ryegrass is a fierce competitor with fescue and bluegrass and will weaken the stand. Never blend annual bluegrass with fescue or fescue/bluegrass blends. Contractor blends contain ryegrass. Read the label on these blends before sowing an unknown blend.

Poor weed control-Most homeowners get confused trying to use herbicides for weed control. Homeowners need focus more on why they have weeds rather than how to control them. A healthy lawn will have few weeds.

Unreasonable expectations-If you seed this fall you should have turf resembling your favorite golf course. Well, not really. It takes time for fescue to become established. I'll admit that I have observed some very nice lawns that were seeded in the fall, but these occasions are rare. It takes time for the lawns to become thick and healthy. Unseasonable droughts more recently too much rain, insect and disease problems present a multitude of problems that take time ant patience to overcome. Be patient and persistent with your maintenance program.

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Cooperative Extension and Rowan County Master Gardener Volunteers are sponsoring a Fall Field Day at the Horticultural Demonstration Gardens located at the West End Park on Saturday, September 13th from 9-11:30 AM. There is still much to observe even though the rain has hampered much of the gardening efforts this summer. The field day features the butterfly garden, bog garden, sunflower/cutflower demonstration, Enabling Garden, composting and other horticultural demonstrations. The field day is free and open to the public.

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.