Cool Season Lawn Program Question

gle2011

6 years ago

last modified: 6 years ago

I struggle with my fescue blend lawn.

I live in central Massachusetts.

Could you share your management practices? i.e. fertilization schedule, watering schedule, mower setting, and any other tips you may have. and what is the blend you have?

Thanks

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Comments (3)

mishmosh
6 years ago
I've looked at your lawn pics. I think your problems mostly relate to having a lot of fine fescue and "common" varieties of maybe ryegrass or KBG that simply perform poorly in the summer. That is fine for the vast majority of people who don't mind the lawn going dormant in summer and having minor diseases like dollar spot, red thread, etc. Every spring and fall, it'll bounce back and look nice and green again. Do not try to make your lawn something it's not. Your neighbors' lawns (likely the same mix) may be green in the summer but they are likely spending a small fortune on water and come september have nothing to show for it but having more thatch than you.

It is only us lawn enthusiasts that want better. Darker green. Nicer texture. Better performance in the summer. Less disease prone. But every spring and fall, the difference between an "elite" lawn and one that is common stock is small, IMHO.

If I were you and I didn't want to renovate, buy some quality TTTF seed. Rent a core aerator and really go to town on your lawn. I'm talking by the time your done it'll look like a mess with lots of soil cores everywhere--maybe looking more brown than green. Overseed the TTTF, fertilize and start watering. But I'm afraid you really should be doing that now...
gle2011 thanked mishmosh
Joe BigBlue
6 years ago
gle

Did you see the guide from Rutgers I posted?
gle2011 thanked Joe BigBlue
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dchall_san_antonio
6 years ago
There are three aspects to lawn care with a bonus aspect you should not need. Generally you need water, mowing, and fertilizer. The bonus is for stuff that can go wrong out of your control. But here they are in order of importance.

Watering: Deep and infrequent is the mantra for watering. This is for all turf grass all over the place. Deep means 1 inch all at one time. Put some cat food or tuna cans around the yard, and time how long it takes your sprinkler(s) to fill all the cans. Memorize that time. That will be the time you water from now on. My hose, sprinkler and water pressure takes 8 full hours to fill the cans. Your time will likely be less. I like gentle watering. As for watering frequency, that depends on the daytime air temperature. With temps in the 90s, deep water once per week. With temps in the 80s, deep water once every 2 weeks. With temps in the 70s, deep water once every 3 weeks. With temps below 70, deep water once a month. Note that you have to keep up with quickly changing temps in the spring and fall. This deep and infrequent schedule works in Phoenix and in Vermont, so it should work for you. The reason for deep and infrequent is to grow deeper, more drought resistant roots and to allow the soil to dry completely at the surface for several days before watering again. If it rains, reset your calendar to account for the rainfall.

Mowing: Mulch mow at your mower's highest setting. The fine fescues may flop over when mowed that high so adjust downward as needed.

Fertilizing: First app of fertilizer goes down in late May. Next is early Sept. Last is late November after the lawn has gone dormant but before you get freezing weather. If you normally only use chemical fertilizers, either add an organic fertilizer any time you like, or replace any of the three regular applications with organic. The soil will thank you.

Weeds: Use a preemergent weed control in early to mid March when the forsythia are blooming in YOUR neighborhood. Use a post emergent weed spray to spot spray broadleaf weeds in mid April. If you get regular fall rain showers, use the preemergent again in August. This will catch weeds that germinate and remain dormant over the winter.

Insects: Do not pre treat for insects. Insects are not usually a problem. If they are a problem for you, you will see the damage in July. The problem with pretreating is that most insects are beneficial and play a valuable role in soil and lawn health.

Disease: Do not anticipate disease and pretreat for that either. Most of the fungi in the soil and on plants are beneficial and play a valuable role in soil and plant health. If you think you have a disease issue, please send pictures in here or any forum to get advice.

When I came to this forum I thought I knew how to care for my lawn. I had to unlearn just about everything I believed was true (daily watering, mowing low, extra fertilizer in the summer, and other things). From my experience in forums for 15 years, most lawn issues are caused by improper watering. After that mowing height and fertilizer cause the most issues.
gle2011 thanked dchall_san_antonio

Cool Season Lawn Program Question

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mishmosh

Joe BigBlue

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