Fall is a season of reprieve and rest in Atlanta, Georgia. The summer of 2024 was interesting, full of significant heat, drought, maybe some armyworms, and a whole bunch of sweat. Most of us are ready to put on a sweater, but what should we be putting on our lawns? Should it still be more green? What is dormancy? Why more pre-emergents? Below is a breakdown of what you should do with your yard in the Fall from the lawn care experts at Nature’s Turf, serving Atlanta and the surrounding areas with experienced and effective lawn treatment services.
Should I Put Anything On My Lawn in The Fall?
Understanding the required inputs for your turfgrass in the fall starts with understanding the turf species, weed species, and climate we are growing turf in. We will get to the weeds a little later. For now, let’s focus on the topic of nutrition.
Fertilizers with an analysis of 10-10-10 come up in conversations with clients year-round. I assume it has to do with grandfathers growing tomatoes, or some other great family tradition. While 10-10-10 certainly provides the most important nutrients for plant growth, it isn’t specialized for turfgrass in any way, and it doesn’t take into account that plants want different amounts of each of those in different seasons.
Through the spring and summer months, turfgrasses are growing and synthesizing energy rapidly. They need high values of nitrogen for these processes. This is also when we see fertilizer applications turn yards a deep, lush green after treatment. As days get shorter and nights get cooler, our warm-season turfgrasses quit worrying so much about that top growth and start storing energy in their roots. This is a prime opportunity for us to focus on Potassium which is important for root health and hardiness as we make our way toward a season of inherent stress for our lawns.
Should My Grass Still Be More Green?
The answer to this question is thinly veiled between the lines of the section above. The short answer is no, and that’s normal. Just like yards transition at different times in the spring, they also transition at different times in the fall. Yards with a lot of sun exposure are generally the first out of dormancy, as well as the last into fall fade. They get the most light and have the warmest soil temps. Conversely, shady yards are the opposite for the opposite reasons.
Different areas of the landscape will present differently as well. Wide open front yards will stay greener than shady backyards. Differing species will respond differently, so if your front yard is Bermuda and your backyard Zoysia, they will transition differently. The goal is to preserve the canopy which will preserve color, and has a major side benefit of aiding weed control by shading the soil surface.
While it seems counterintuitive to continue mowing and watering grass that isn’t growing as rapidly, it’s the most impactful way to retain color. Keep your frequency, and consider increasing your cut heights. If color is removed late in the season, it may not fully recover prior to dormancy. While this is normal, try to avoid it. The same is true for exceptional drought stress. Not only is adequate moisture great for maintaining that canopy density, but it’s imperative for life processes, even in the fall.
What Is Dormancy?
We will touch on this again in a future blog very soon, but it’s important in this context because the turf isn’t dead. It’s just hibernating. In a nutshell, dormancy is a stress response. The turf won’t be able to recover the energy investment it has made in creating and sustaining blades, and it can’t stand freezing temps. Instead, it has just decided to take a nap for a while, and wait until ground temperatures rise, and longer days return.
With this in mind, we tailor the program toward different nutritional inputs, and encourage canopy retention as we have above, because it is best for the turf and aids in the weed control we will discuss momentarily. Understanding what the turf is actually doing and what we can do to lay a foundation for your yard to be successful now and later are major focal points for us, and one of the ways we aim to maximize the value of working with our locally owned lawncare company.
Should You Apply Pre-Emergent In The Fall?
Something I say a lot is that “pre-emergents don’t last forever, nor would we want them to.” It’s a great thing that these products degrade naturally without lasting environmental impacts. While beautiful, clean lawns are the goal, we always aim to provide those results in a way that is ethical for the client and the environment. Since they don’t last forever, and we live in a climate with weed pressure year-round, it’s important to re-establish those barriers.
Not only are there positives to the short life of pre-emergent weed control products, but there is also an advantage to the strategic use of different products for different weeds. While they all look to accomplish the same goal, they do it in slightly different ways. A significant benefit of partnering with us is the comfort of knowing that it’s our job to understand what products work best in each season, and for which weeds.
Conclusion: So What Should We Put on The Lawn?
The things it needs for the season we’re in. Growing great turfgrass in the fall starts in the spring and summer. Recovering great turfgrass in spring starts in the fall and winter. Each of these inputs builds on each other.
Nutrition that doesn’t force unwanted top growth, combined with sound cultural practices allows for color maintenance without forcing the plants to do things they’d rather not. Let them focus on storage, and encourage them by focusing on root health. Dormancy is just a nap, so emphasis on foundational health is key.
More pre-emergents aren’t concerning. The ones we put down earlier this year have simply degraded, so it’s time to make sure a good barrier is in place to stave off the pesky winter weeds. While we’re there, we will do a little spot treatment if needed too.
