Fall Lawn Care

UT Extension Agent Booker T. Leigh talks about fall lawn care. The summer has been hot and there have been dry spells so make sure your lawn is well watered as you approach the grass’s dormant period. Also, continue mowing warm season grasses at the same height until they go dormant. Also, fall is a good time to address some disease problems. If you have lawn diseases now, they will reappear – probably worse – in the spring. Fall is also a good time to put down a pre-emergent herbicide. This will keep weeds from growing over the winter months while the grass is dormant. Dethatching should wait until the grass is breaking dormancy (warm season grasses in the spring, cool season grasses in the fall). Fall is not the time to use nitrogen fertilizer on warm season grasses as it encourages new green growth. Phosphorus and potassium fertilizers are good for the root systems and can be applied in the fall. If you would like to over-seed a warm season grass with fescue, the fall is the best time to do that.

September 22, 2016

Related Resources:
Bermudagrass Maintenance Calendar
Overseeding With Ryegrass
Managing Weeds In Warm-Season Lawns