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Seasonal Lawn Care

   Written by on September 5, 2013 at 12:40 pm

gardenLabor Day has come and gone and with it, summer. It’s still good and warm during the day but the nights are getting cooler – perfect sleeping weather. Soon thoughts will turn to a day trip into the mountains to see the fall foliage color or to taking a hike to some out-of-the-way stream to sit on the bank soaking up the sun’s warm rays and just snoozing…okay, I’m there already. Do yourself a favor: take some time for yourself and enjoy the coming season.

Before you go, though, you have some work to do. If your lawn looks like mine there’s lots of raking and general cleaning up that needs to be done. As summers go, this one wasn’t so bad temperature-wise but at the same time stuff grew like crazy! Stuff being weeds and new tree shoots and all sorts of other new vegetation…

It’s not quite time to do winter mower maintenance yet ‘cause the grass will continue to grow at least into October.  But you can ensure that you have a great looking lawn come spring by keeping grass cuttings and falling leaves cleaned up on a regular basis. Dead leaves are a breeding ground for insect pests and fungal diseases, so frequent removal is necessary to keep your lawn clean and healthy.

If you played all Labor Day weekend instead of fertilizing your lawn, you have time to redeem yourself. Do it soon though so the fertilizer will have time to work on the lawn before the grass goes into its winter dormancy. High nitrogen and potassium fertilizers, such as 15-5-10, provide the most benefit at this time of year. I saw a spreader for sale at Tailwaggers the other day and something in the back of my mind said, “Buy it. Buy it now.” But of course I passed it up and so now I’ll just find some old gloves and dip in the fertilizer bag with my hands and strew the stuff around the yard.

A good broadleaf weed control product should be spread along with the fertilizer. Although, if I kill the dandelions and the clover, what’s going to be left? Besides, I like clover and so do the rabbits that sit complacently in the back yard, just munching away.

If you have bare patches in your lawn, September provides the best growing temperatures and moisture for new lawn seed. If you seed those spots now the grass will have time to germinate and get established before the winter cold arrives. Next summer you’ll be glad you did.

Aerating your lawn now is also a good idea, although if you keep those grass cuttings and fallen leaves raked up, there probably isn’t much to work through. But if you’ve been a little slack, get out there remove any thatch that has accumulated to improve air circulation and the moisture absorbing abilities of your lawn. Keep in mind, however, that a thin layer of mulch can be beneficial to your grass, working as mulch, so that aerating is all that’s needed to allow for water penetration to the roots.

Most of all, enjoy the fall weather. Go to a tailgating party – maybe even go to the football game. Have a bonfire. Go to the mountains and bring home a peck of apples for pies. Sit in the sun early in the morning when it’s cool. Take your dog for a nice long walk.

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