Fall Lawn Care
PAT PAYNE GateHouse Plus

Mowing the grass, planting flowers and trimming bushes keep homeowners busy during the hot summer months, but university extension officials nationwide say lawn care is most important in the fall.

As strange as it may sound, everything from fertilization and weeds to new lawns and renovating poor lawns are all fall activities - right after the heat bleeds off and before the snow begins to drop.

One lawn and garden retailer recommends coolseason grasses such as ryegrass, fescue and bluegrass be fertilized during the months of September, October or November. Warm season grasses like Bermuda, Bahia, centipede, St. Augustine and Zoysia, the site continues, is fertilizes during warmer months. Why? Winterizing fertilizers are higher in potassium, see. And potassium beefs up a grasses' healthiness - much more than regular lawn food would. Winterizers should be applied as the last fertilizer application of the growing season. Most grasses go into dormancy, so it isn't necessary to water a warm season lawn during the winter months.

Choosing the right fertilizer is very important, accordi ng to ConsumerReports.org. Lawns need nitrogen most. In northern regions, where lawns usually become dormant, it's best to pick a quickrelease ammoniacal or urea nitrogen for the late fall months. In the more southern and western areas, where lawns grow throughout the winter season, it's best to use a controlled-release fertilizer or one that's high in waterinsoluble nitrogen should be used. Fertilizer labels include the needed information and the percentage by weight of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.

Apply a pre-emergence weed killer for weed control during the winter months. There are products available, sometimes called weed and feed, that combine fertilizer and weed killer. ConsumerReports.org. states autumn is the time to terminate broadleaf weeds such as dandelions, plantain and ground ivy; since these plants are most vulnerable to weed killers. Selective herbicides, which kill some types of plants but not others, should be used to control large infestations.

Selective herbicides are available as sprays, concentrated liquids and dry granules. If the lawn includes

Bermuda grass, buffalo grass or zoysia

grass, use a nonselective

herbicide that kills all

types of plants. Wait until

the lawn is completely dormant

- when it's brown and appears dead - before using. If not, the herbicide

could kill the grass.

Remove yard leaves to help prevent lawn diseases.

Leaves

left on the

lawn prevent

sunlight and air from reaching the grass. Rake the leaves and add them to a compost pile, or go over them with a mulching mower to make a compost for the grass. This can be accomplished by lowering the mower an inch below the normal setting and using a grass catcher attachment to pick up weed seeds in the lawn.

The best time to mulch is early fall, spring and summer months. Mulch retains heat and moisture. Use a lawn mower that can be easily converted from a mulcher to a bagging unit or leaf shredder. Save the lawn waste for the compost bin.

A warm season lawn begins to change from green to brown with the first freeze. To maintain a green appearance, the dormant lawn can be overseeded. Annual or perennial ryegrass or blends of cool season grasses can also be used when overseeding.

Additional lawn care tips can be found at university extension websites, at ConsumerReports.org and other landscaping and home improvement sites.