Editor’s note: This story was originally published in 2016, and is being republished as part of our fall coverage. Some references may be out of date.
If you’re like most people, you’re into the lawn big time in spring. Fertilizing. Sowing grass seed. Applying crabgrass and dandelion killers. Interest wanes during the summer, except for mowing, watering and worrying about this or that patch of dead grass.
Then comes fall, and a lot of people think they are done with the lawn for the season, except for mowing and raking leaves. The reality is: Fall is for lawns.
“The best time of year to take care of lawns is fall,” said John Harrison, who works in product support for Espoma, which has been making natural lawn and garden products since 1929. “Give lawns a checkup and keep soil healthy for the year to come. Plus, feeding your lawn with an organic plant food makes for happy and healthy people, pets and planet.”
Fall is best time to fix bare spots in your grass
If you have to sow a new lawn or patch bare spots, fall is the best time of year to do so, said Tim Duffy, Midwest territory manager of Jonathan Green lawn care products, which has been in business since 1881. “In spring, we’re waiting for the soil temperature to warm up so grass can germinate, and you have a lot of competition with weed seeds germinating. In fall, the soil has had all summer to warm up, weed pressure isn’t as bad, cooler temperatures and better rain patterns return.”
Each of these companies has launched programs or initiatives to bring a more reasoned approach to lawn care by marketing natural products. Espoma’s campaign is targeted to families, pointing out its products are safe for kids and pets to play on the lawn. Jonathan Green’s New American Lawn program focuses more on soil health rather than chemicals.
Both of these companies give us something to think about. We dump a lot of chemicals on our lawn. In an online article published in May 2015, Consumer Reports found “the average lawn contains 10 times more chemicals per acre than a typical commercial farm.” It’s long been reported that consumers use more lawn chemicals than golf courses.
How high to mow lawn to combat weeds
“I’ve harped on this one more than just about any topic over the years — but for good reason,” expert gardener Paul Cappiello wrote in this Courier-Journal piece. “Mowing your lawn at a 4-inch height is the single most effective thing you can do to combat weeds, encourage deep rooting and keep your lawn looking good. A 2-inch mowing height results in a scalped lawn that reduce the lawn’s drought tolerance, encourages lawn weeds and just looks bad.”
“And as we move into the cooler season — perfect grass growing season — correct mowing height is essential,” Cappiello explained. “As night temperatures drop into the low 60s and even 50s, we also start to see the germination of some of the cooler season weeds. Keeping the lawn a bit on the longer side makes the turf more competitive than the weeds. And it’s a lot cheaper and healthier than broadcasting pounds and pounds of herbicide, much of which ends up getting washed down the storm drain anyway.”
Fall lawn tips in Indiana
What can we do?
• A healthy, actively growing lawn is your best defense against weeds, insects and diseases.
• Fertilize the lawn in September and November. If you leave your grass clippings on the lawn during the summer, you may be able to do away with an application of spring fertilizer.
• Know what you have before you treat it. I can’t emphasize this enough. It’s a waste of money, time and effort to apply chemicals if you don’t know what you are treating. Unneeded use of chemicals also is not good for the environment.
Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp of hoosiergardener.com is treasurer of Garden Writers Association and co-author of “The Indiana Gardener’s Guide.” Write to her at P.O. Box 20310, Indianapolis, IN 46220-0310, or email thehoosiergardener@gmail.com
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Great lawns start in fall in Indiana, gardening expert says. Here’s how
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