PURDUE UNIVERSITYCOOPERATIVEEXTENSION SERVICEWEST LAFAYETTEINDIANA 47907
AY-13
Lawn Improvement Programs
Zac Reicher and Clark Throssell Purdue University Turfgrass Specialists
Whether your lawn is thin from the rigors of summer or from neglect, fall is the best timeof the year to improve your lawn. Somelawns can be drastically improved withproper fertilization and weed control in fallwhereas others need reseeding in some areasor even complete renovation. If you are facedwith improving your lawn in spring, refer toAY-20, Seeding a Turf Area in the Spring.
Lawn Improvement Through Fertilizationand Weed Control
Most of us may be fairly happy with ourlawns and may not be willing nor needing toreseed, but we can still dramatically improveour lawn with fertilizing and possibly someweed control.September is the most important time tofertilize a cool season turfgrass to encouragerooting and increased density. Fertilizationshould be done in mid-September with aproduct that has a nutrient ratio of nitrogen,phosphorus and potassium of about 4-1-2.Examples of fertilizers with this ratio wouldbe 24-6-12 or 20-5-10. Apply fertilizer at 1.0lb N/1000 ft
2
.A second fertilizer application should bemade after the last mowing of the year butwhile the turfgrass is still green. A solublenitrogen source, such as urea, is very effec-tive for late fall fertilization. The nitrogenshould be applied at the rate of 1.5 lbs /1000ft
2
. Nitrogen is the most important nutrientto apply for a late fall fertilization.Two applications of fertilizer should beadequate to maintain or even improve mostlawns in the fall. A third application in mid-October could boost your lawn even more if it was especially thin after summer. Apply1.0 lb /1000 ft
2
in with a soluble nitrogensource like urea. Be sure to reduce the rate of application of the November application to1.0 lb /1000 ft
2
. The October application mayencourage a winter disease called snowmold, so this application should be used onlyon very thin lawns where the increase indensity is worth the risk of increased snowmold. For more information, refer to AY-22,Fertilizing Established Lawns.An application of a broadleaf herbicidecontaining 2,4-D, MCPP and dicamba inmid-October will control dandelions, plan-tain, wild violets, clover, and black medicamong other weeds. Read and follow alldirections on the herbicide label when usingthe product. Be careful when using theseproducts because they may damage desiredvegetation such as flowers, trees, shrubs, orvegetables. Apply this product on a sunnyday when no rain is forecast and tempera-tures are above 50
o
F. For more information,refer to AY-9, Control of Broadleaf Weeds inHomelawns.
Improving Your Lawn Through Overseeding
The density of many lawns can be improvedby introducing seed into the lawn andallowing these plants to germinate. Theoptimum time to seed cool-season turfgrassesis between Aug. 15 and Sept. 1 in central IN,a week earlier in northern IN, and a week orso later in southern IN.•Mow the area to 1 or 1.5 inches to reducecompetition from established grasses.•Apply a starter fertilizer (high in phospho-rus) over the entire lawn at 1.5 lbs P
2
O
5
/ 1000 ft
2
.•Aerify the area, punching at least 20 to 40holes/ft
2
with the largest tines possible.This will increase the seed-soil contactand improve germination and establish-ment rate. You can never over-aerify atthis time, so make many passes over thelawn. A power raking at this time will alsohelp to increase the seed-soil contact.•Apply the seed to the lawn with either adropseeder or a power overseeder which isa machine that will drop the seeds intosmall grooves that it cuts into the soil. Tryto make 2 to 4 passes over the lawn indifferent directions with either the drop-
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