It’s Not Too Late To Give Lawn Some Air Time

It won’t be long now until the mower and hoses are stored and the sprinkler system shut off. But before we start tucking the lawn paraphernalia away, there are a few fall tasks that might insure a healthier lawn next year.

Aerate: Though spring is traditionally the time for aerating the lawn, fall aeration has also proven to be quite beneficial. Aerating simply means poking holes, three to four inches deep, throughout the turf. The holes open the lawn’s root system to air, water, fertilizer and space for healthy root development. These conditions will also help break down the thatch - that spongy layer found between the blades of grass and the soil. Aeration can be accomplished with a power aerator, a hand-held aerator or a spading fork.

Gas-driven aerating machines are the most efficient. They have tubes (usually hollow) that are spread around a drum. As the drum rolls across the surface of the lawn, the tubes are pressed through the turf and hopefully into the soil below. If the thatch is too thick, the tubes may never make it to the soil.

The best machines are those with hollow tubes. As they move across the lawn, they pull up and drop cores of sod onto the surface. The cores will eventually break down, topdressing the lawn. If you don’t like the “doggy droppings” look, the cores can always be raked and added to the compost pile.

Power aerators can be rented through local rental companies or the task can be handled by a lawn care service.

Hand-held aerators (two or more tubes attached to a footplate) work fine for a small area. Grasp the handle of the aerator, press the tubes into the ground with your foot and lift. Cores of sod will drop onto the ground if you use the hollow-tubed type.

Using a spading fork is the least preferred, but it’s better than nothing. Forks and solid-tube-type devices may open holes in the lawn, but they also tend to compact the soil along the sides and bottom of the holes.

Always aerate the ground when it is moist and watch for sprinkler lines.

Fertilizing: For years we have been taught that October is the last and most important time to fertilize the lawn. But when we consider that nitrogen is the primary nutrient in lawn fertilizer, and that it takes warm soil to activate nitrogen and an actively growing root system to utilize nitrogen - then using it in late October doesn’t compute.

Doug Brede, research director at Jacklin Seed Company, confirmed my misgivings. Brede even took it one step further. High-nitrogen fertilizers used at the wrong time of the growing season and over gravelly soil, may leach into the ground water. He suggests the last and most important time to fertilize in our area is the final two weeks of August. The soil is warm and the root system has a chance to utilize the nutrients. If you haven’t done your fall fertilization yet, consider waiting until the first week of June next year.

Which fertilizer do we use? Always use a balanced fertilizer - one that contains all three numbers. Look for a 3-1-3, 3-1-2 or a 4-1-3 ratio. Never use more than one pound of actual nitrogen (the first number) per 1,000 square feet unless you are using an organic fertilizer. Here you may use two pounds of actual nitrogen per 1,000 square feet, especially if the turf is poor.

Mowing: Do we cut the lawn short for the last mowing or do we leave it at its regular growing height? If you’ve been mowing the lawn at 1-1/2 to 2 inches, you may drop the mower a bit, but certainly no lower than one inch. Mowing it lower may shock the grass and damage the crowns.

Mow, core aerate, mow again for the last time, wash down the mower and drain the gas. Take the mower in now for its annual tune-up and beat the spring rush. And finally, drain the hoses and the sprinkler lines and shut off the water. Enjoy your winter vacation.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Phyllis Stephens The Spokesman-Review