Falling On Tough Times

It has been a difficult year for your lawn. Extended hot, dry periods in the summer after a very mild winter, as your turf grass was exposed to everything in between. Most people have found bare spots and weeds co-mingled with the grass. Fall is the perfect time to help your lawn recover and prepare for a better growing season next spring.

•Weed Control
Fall is a great time for weed management, but there are a few things to keep in mind. Identify the weeds, not all will survive the winter, or even heavy frost. Some will persist like dandelions, thistle, and bindweed. Use a product labeled for use on those specific weeds, and follow the directions. Herbicides are poison, and dangerous if mis-handled. Weeds compete with grass for food and nutrients so it is good for your lawn to manage weeds, but it is recommended to spot treat weeds. This means only using an herbicide in certain areas during the fall, unlike other times of the year where you would broadcast over the whole grass areas.

•Thatch Care
Thatch is a build-up of living and dead grass roots and stems between the soil and green grass blades. Some level of that is a good thing. The amount of thatch in the lawn may be checked by cutting three to four inches down into the grass with a shovel and lifting up a piece of sod. Thatch looks like a thick tangle of dark brown roots above the soil level. If thatch is greater than 1/2 inch, the lawn should be core aerated or de-thatched. Fall is an excellent time to de-thatch. In lawns with a thatch layer over 3/4 inch thick, you should aerate then topdress with a thin layer (1/8 to 1/4 inch) of soil or compost. Topdressing adds microorganisms that help breakdown thatch.

•Spot Cover
Fall is a great time to re-seed any bare spots in the lawn. Good soil contact is crucial for germination.  For small areas, use a rake to work up the soil so it is loose. For larger areas, a tiller may be necessary if the top few inches are compacted. Choose a perennial rye blend for best results. This selection has good heat and drought tolerance and grows quickly to fill in the empty areas.  Cover lightly with straw or some of the newer seed starter mulches available at your local garden center.

In addition to these steps, fall is the best time to fertilize your lawn. Consider a soil test kit to find out exactly what kinds of nutrients the turf will need. These kits are for sale in our office.

For more information on fall lawn care, the Penn State Master Gardeners in Lackawanna County have a free packet of information on this topic. Contact us at 570-963-6842 or email LackawannaMG@psu.edu for one. Are you interested in becoming a Master Gardener? We are having a fall training class beginning October 22, you can contact us for more information.

Steve Ward
Master Gardener Coordinator
Penn State Cooperative Extension in Lackawanna County

Low Impact Weed Killing

Perennial weeds can be difficult to control. But waiting will only let the problem worsen.

Have just a few? When the soil is moist gently loosen the soil and gently pull from the bottom of the plant (yes, loosen and pull gently so you can get out as many roots as possible without breaking them off). Don’t be surprised if you have to “follow” the roots (loosening the soil along the way) while you pull - they can travel quite far! If the few perennial weeds you have are mixed in with other plants, you might try applying a nonselective herbicide when the weeds are actively growing. Paint it on with a brush so you do not kill the nearby plants with overspray. Repeat both methods as needed.

If you have a heavy weed problem and can do without the weedy area for the season, you could try solarization during the hot summer months. Water the area well. Cover the area with black plastic and secure the edges with soil, rocks, or earth staples (you can make them with wire hangers). Leave the plastic on for 60 days. The heat from the summer sun will sterilize the soil.

If you can leave the area fallow (with no garden plants) for the season AND would like to enrich your soil in the process, try smother cropping. This method basically starves out the weeds by planting another crop that shades out weeds combined with rapid harvest cycles that do not give the weeds time to replenish the food reserves in their roots. Here’s how:

• Cultivate the garden and heavily sow a series of fast growing cover crops. Here is one example of a smother crop series- others end with a legume to add nitrogen in the fall and you can use other crops as well. Remember to water if needed.
• Do now - sow OATS. When they start to head out, mow and till them into the soil. That should be sometime in mid summer.
• Right after the oats are tilled in, sow buckwheat. As soon as the buckwheat starts to flower mow and till it in - probably in early fall.
• Right after the oats are tilled in - sow rye. Leave that over the winter. Let it come up in the spring. Mow and till it in before it flowers or when you are ready to work your garden- whichever comes first.
  

NOTE: If your garden is overcome by aggressive perennial weeds like comfrey you may have to repeat the smother crop cycle next year. But at the end of it you will have weed free and very rich soil. You can take that to the bank!

You can find answers to many gardening questions at our consumer horticulture web site: http://consumerhorticulture.psu.edu/, or contact your local cooperative extension office. In Lackawanna County ask for the Garden Help line at 963-6842 or email LackawannaMG@psu.edu.


Terry Schettini, Extension Educator
Jim Kessler & Dorrie Mininger, Susquehanna County Master Gardeners
Penn State Cooperative Extension in Lackawanna County
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