I think a quick release Nitrogen as the last feeding helps. Most of what I read suggests cool season grasses like fescue benefit from getting most of their feeding in the fall. I usually use 20 lbs of organic fertilizer in late Aug, another 20 lbs in Oct and ONE pound per thousand of a chemical nitogen around Thanksgiving here (right after the first hard freeze) then I feed it once in the spring.

Since I've been doing the urea app as my last application of the year, I think my grass has stayed much greener through the winter and greens up much faster in the spring. Here are some pics of my fescue yard today in zone 6b. I have the neighbors' yards for comparision of green up purposes.
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Usually sod in the field gets a much higher rate of nitrogen than most homeowners apply. It could be withdrawal from that high nitrogen. It could be the specific cultivar of TTTF that was planted. It could have been the lack of rain from last year. I overseeded TTTF last fall and mine has stayed pretty green all winter. It is just coming out of dormancy and I'm seeing new growth. In fact I just cleaned up all the winter debris yesterday (more today).

I wouldn't necessarily try to jump start it. Let nature happen - the temps are coming up. Especially, don't try a high nitrogen application. Get on a good maintenance schedule for this year and you should find a good healthy lawn that will maintain color through the winter. Mulch mow at 3 inches or higher, 3-5 pounds of nitrogen per 1000 sq-ft with most in the fall, and water at 1" per week. Organically maintained has a reputation of better winter color.

"Especially, don't try a high nitrogen application"
Great, last week I put down starter fertilizer to try to jump start it.

RCNAYLOR - can you be more specific on how you fertilize (products etc). My fertilizing schedule is very reactionary in nature. This winter I got caught off guard and realize that I have to plan ahead to keep my lawn green. My first year here I probably easily spent over $1,000 on fertilizer/seed and tried to ease my lawn off its nitrogen addiction (as soccer dad pointed out). I need a better schedule - last year I did this:
- starter fertilizer in late Feb
- Scotts fertilizer with crabgrass preemergent - late March
- Scotts fertilizer summmer - won't burn per lawn started to brown even with irrigation (once a week 1 inch of h2O)
- Scotts fall fertilizer with iron

- I also seeded in the fall and applied lime

Thanks

Well, with cool season grasses in zone 6b I usually go with alfalfa meal around the first part of May at 20lbs per thousand. Then 20 lbs of cottonseed/soybean meal late Aug, then 20 lbs more October then 1 to 1 and quarter pound of urea (you can burn with it) after the first hard freeze in the fall puts the top growth into dormancy.

If you have a good budget and a strong back, I personally highly recommend one top dressing of a good compost to help get a yard going strong. Use about a cubic yard per 800 to a thousand square feet.

Water deep, mow high and frequently enough. That will solve about 95% of most problems.

What month do you suggest the application of the top dressing?

Winter green is almost entirely dependent on temperature and fall feeding. If it gets really cold, fescue goes dormant and there is nothing you can do about it. This year, that probably wasn't the case. That leaves fall feeding. For the best winter color, you should have 2-3 application of fertilizer from late summer through fall. In the transition zone, a good fertilization schedule is mid spring, the end of summer, early fall, and late fall.

On the topdressing issue, so long as you don't over do it and smoother the grass, just about any time is OK. I think early fall is probably optimum. Then spring.

"That leaves fall feeding. For the best winter color, you should have 2-3 application of fertilizer from late summer through fall. In the transition zone, a good fertilization schedule is mid spring, the end of summer, early fall, and late fall."

I don't plan on going organic so what type of fertilizers should I be putting down if I follow this schedule? What type of nitrogen content? A starter ferilizer in the fall?

If you want an exact fertilizer recommendation, you should get a soil test done. It costs about $10 and will tell you exactly what you turf needs.

As a generic recommendation, if you are using synthetic fertilizers, you should do 3 applications of the standard formulation (lots of nitrogen, and a little K and P) and 1 balanced application (something like 10-10-10) per year. You can get the same effect if you want to use a starter and a winterizer and 2 standard apps, put you'll typically pay more for that.