Best time to work on restoring, seeding your lawn is September
Article content
Fertilizing the grass is not my favourite job. We have about five acres of lawn and I need about two hours to do the job, about as long as required to cut the grass with our John Deere mower.
So when summer students Sonja and Connor (not their real names) finished their job early and needed a task to carry to the end of the day, I had an instant solution to my annoying fertilizer job. I gave them a quick rundown to what the job entailed, told them to spread 40 bags of fertilizer, give or take a few bags, and off they went.
As luck would have it about an inch of rain fell that evening. Within days the grass turned incredibly green. I cut the lawn on the weekend, and then cut it again four days later. And again four days later. I noticed a few small burnt patches, which I guessed were a result of fertilizer spillage where it was dumped into the spreaders. No problem.
When Sonja and Connor turned in job report sheets, which crossed my desk a few days later, I read that they had applied 140 bags of fertilizer, exactly what John wanted.
Today, now three weeks later, the grass is healthy as a kitten. Weak areas of the grass have filed in aggressively, and weeds, although still in place, appear to have been drowned out by healthy turf. I would have expected the grass to shown some signs of stress because it overdosed with triple the fertilizer, but it hasn’t skipped a beat.
Grass is a resilient plant. It has a strong desire to grow and thrive. It is the only plant that survives kids, swings, dogs, football games and soccer matches. If damaged, it bounces back quickly.
Grass loves the fall season when soil is damp, nights are cool, and there’s soft morning dew.
Turf experts will tell you that grass repair is best done in autumn. If a lawn needs rejuvenation, September is prime time. That holds true for fertilizer, dethatching, aerating, sodding, seeding, grub control and weed prevention.
Turf experts will also tell you that in September you should put your sprinkler in the shed and encourage the roots to penetrate the soil in search of moisture. Light, frequent watering will cause the roots to become lazy and a deep watering every week or two by Mother Nature will strengthen the grass.
Growers of sod schedule their new seed sowing in the fall because the weather cooperates with moisture and morning dew. Homeowners would be wise to follow suit and put down new seed in September or early October. Use a Canada Number 1 seed mix that is suited for your particular application.
The key to success with turf are fertile soil that allows for good drainage, aerating in late summer, seeding or sodding in fall, thorough watering once a week, and fertilizer three times a year.