Lawn care in summer’s active growing season is practically a full-time job. A change in seasons brings a change to your lawn care routine as life outdoors turns dormant. But you may be surprised to know that the best time to think ahead to spring is right now, in the fall.
Let’s look at the cycle and why it’s so important to maintain your lawn now to ensure success when things spring back to life next year.
What Is Winter Dormancy?
Winter dormancy is a natural and necessary part of the growing cycle when warm-season grass, such as Bermuda grass, enters a state of rest and preservation during months when sunshine isn’t plentiful. Cool-season grasses like bluegrass or fescue enter dormancy in the summer season. The purpose of dormancy is for a lawn to conserve nutrients to survive the low temperatures of winter.
When Does Grass Go Dormant?
Not all lawns go dormant at the same time of year, and different varieties of grasses have a slightly different growing period. Warm-season grasses, in particular, enter winter dormancy in late fall when soil temperatures drop and remain below 55 degrees (typically sometime after mid-September when temperatures are 65 degrees Fahrenheit depending on your geographic location).
Apply Fertilizer
Apply fertilizer to warm-season grass before it enters dormancy to provide your lawn with the nutrients it needs to survive winter. While the blades of grass will turn brown during the cold months, the roots of the grass will stay alive and store the fertilizer’s nutrients until the grass transitions out of dormancy in spring.
Apply a Pre-emergent Herbicide
Want to attack next spring’s weeds in your lawn? Start now. Fall is one of the most effective times to apply a pre-emergent herbicide to lawns. Post-emergents aren’t always effective, which is why it’s best to prevent them with a pre-emergent.
Apply a Preventative Fungicide
In addition to a pre-emergent herbicide, fall is the ideal time to apply a preventative fungicide. Fall is one of the prime times for disease outbreaks, and since the lawn is dormant and brown, discoloration caused by disease is hard to spot until the grass turns green again in the spring.
Keep Your Grass Longer
During the fall, only mow if/when it’s absolutely necessary. Grass that is longer has deeper roots, which is important during winter. When grass is too short, it doesn’t offer as much protection and allows for frost to get into the growing areas of your lawn. Keeping this area as protected as possible with slightly taller grass creates a barrier-like protection for the grass.
Water Less
Allow rain and snow to do their job this fall and winter. Your lawn will not need as much water during these months as it does in summer. If your area experiences a drought during the colder months, then continue watering your lawn up to 1 inch a week.
Prepare Your Lawn for Spring
Fall preparations are necessary for a successful growing season next spring and summer. Follow these simple yet effective steps, and you’ll be glad for it when things spring back to life next year. We can help take the mystery out of fall lawn care. Give our landscaping specialists at Promier Landscapes a call at (423) 872-2988, or reach us online today.