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| I have just a few questions about how to properly get my lawn winter ready. Let me first explain what has been done since spring. I early April I laid tall fescue sod. I followed that up with lots of daily watering and an initial application of Souther States Carpet Maker fertilizer 16-4-8. The lawn looked absolutely beautiful until around late June to early July. During that time I staretd to get some brown patches as well as an infestation of various broad leaf weeds, clover, crabgrass etc. from a neighbors adjoining lawn. I pulled various weeds at first but they got to be too much. As far as the brown patches my local farmers coop instructed me to us Epsoma lawn food 18-0-3. Two applications around the middle of July and early August have brightened most of the lawn back up and now I only have a few patches that didnt make it.
I want to get the lawn winter ready as well as do something about the weeds. I have heard that these will basically die off in the winter but I am a complete novice at lawn care. What should I be doing right now to get rid of the weeds as well as filling in the bare spots that I do have. I want to have as little weed infestation as possible when we start spring next year. I assume no matter what that I will have problems since the yard comes into direct contact with my neighbors but I would like to have as healthy a lawn as possible next summer. Due to recent rains I am off to cut the grass rignt now, any suggestions are greatly appreciated. I want to be the one that can help people here in the upcoming years as I learn all I can about taking care of my lawn! |
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| Those brown patches you got in summer were probably due to fungal disease, most likely brown patch. Any areas that don't come back will need to be reseeded as tall fescue is a bunch type grass that spreads extremely slowly if at all (Most TTTF sod does have a small percentage of KBG in it though, so that KBG might spread to the bare areas). Yes, most weeds will die off with the cooler weather and first frost, but if you want to kill them now you can with selective herbicides. Depending on what weeds you have you can get rid of most of them with a 2,4 D product like Weed B Gone Max and/or Weed B Gone Clover, Chickweed and Oxalis killer (obviously those target the weeds in their name plus some others). Tenacity is another herbicide that is generating a lot of good buzz in killing off most unwanted yard weeds including the hard to kill ones like poa annua, poa trivialis, and other grassy weeds. As far as bare spots, you will need to seed those with tall fescue seed. Now is a pretty good time in Maryland, for tall fescue you want days in the high seventies, low eighties, nights in the low sixties to high fifties. Just be sure you don't spray those spots with Weed B Gone herbicides. Tenacity can be used with newly seeded turf however. Next year no synthetic fertilizers should be used from Memorial Day to Labor day. Organics are fine however. This year you can fertilize now, again around Halloween, and when top growth stops in November a quick release nitrogen winterizer, but that's optional. Hope this helps. |
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- Posted by yardtractor1 none (My Page) on Sat, Sep 10, 11 at 23:05
| You've gotten good advice. I would only add that you use a High potasium fertilizer for the roots (especially important for new sod.)Also reseed your bare spots, rough up the soild first and make sure the seed is covered (no more than a half inch of cover at most.) |
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- Posted by bighead262 none (My Page) on Mon, Sep 12, 11 at 16:37
| Thanks for the help. I guess im off the the co op again this weekend to get everything needed. I never thought that my front yard would turn out to be such a chore! It tends to be very peaceful out there though so I dont mind too much. If everyone thinks its ok to just wait for the weeds to die than that is what I will do. I just didnt wannt waste time planting seed and watering if it was just gonna help the weeds grow even more! |
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