Prepping Your Lawn For The Fall
Cooperative Extension Horticulture Agent offers advice for managing your lawn.
This week's Ag Chat is offered by Matt Solomon, Associate Row Crop/Horticulture Agent.
It is time to start thinking about whether or not you want to reseed your lawn for the spring. The best time to overseed your lawn is normally mid-September to mid-October. We are seeing higher temperatures stay around longer than normal this year so it may be best to extend the seeding time to mid October. We recommend seeding in the fall because it allows the grasses to develop mature roots before the following summer heat approaches. Seeding in early spring leaves you more prone to drought and heat stress on young, tender grasses.
Typically in the overseeding process you want to start with aerating your yard. Using this tool allows for better seed germination and air space by driving small holes in your yard for the seed to fall in. Once the yard has been seeded you will need to put down a starter fertilizer to give it a head start before winter arrives. Typically using a “18-24-12” fertilizer is sufficient enough and one 50lb bag will cover 10,000 - 12,000 square feet.
The typical yard in North Carolina is seeded with a variety of fescue. If you have issues with dead spots or fungus in your yard we recommend mixing in a “Kentucky Bluegrass” with your fescue blend. Kentucky Bluegrass is known for its resistance to disease and drought tolerance. When buying your bags of seed whether it is from a chain store such as Lowes or your local seed store, always check the seed tag for the percentage of pure seed and weed seed. Some seed batches may contain more weed seed than others and can cause more of a headache come springtime when the temperatures warm up.
If you have any questions regarding managing your lawn, please feel free to contact the office at (336) 694-4158 and we will be happy to answer any questions you may have.
