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FALL TURFGRASS ESTABLISHMENT
Fall is the best time to establish cool season grasses such as Perennial Ryegrass, Tall Fescue and Kentucky Bluegrass. This applies to seeding as well as sodding. The reasons for this are many according to The Lawn Institute (www.thelawninstitute.org).
● Soil temperatures are high enough to allow for good germination and rooting, but not too hot.
● Daytime temperatures are decreasing. This puts less stress on the grass and decreases evaporation.
● Soil moisture is on the rise. Often in the fall there are light soaking rains that replenish the soil after a dry summer.
● Weed competition is low. The hardest to control weeds are grassy weeds that typically germinate in the spring. By establishing a lawn in the fall you can avoid many of these problems. This also allows the grass to be well rooted enough in the spring to handle pre-emergent and post-emergent herbicide applications.
● Disease pressure is decreasing. As nighttime temperatures decrease a reduction in turfgrass disease is noticed.
● More time for turf to develop before the stress of next summer hits.
Some notes to remember when establishing a new lawn.
● Success cannot be expected unless the area that is to have turf established has been prepared properly. Reference a soil preparation guide to understand the steps that should be untaken to have success.
● If this is a reestablishment make sure that whatever conditions that caused the original turf to fail have been eliminated.
● Newly established grass will be looking for readily available nutrients especially phosphorus. A starter fertilizer should be applied to the grass when it is seeded/sodded.
● Herbicides can affect newly established grass. Do not apply fall broadleaf herbicides to seeded areas until you have mowed the grass several times. Always read the label of the product you are using to determine the risks to your desired grass. Newly laid sod should not need to have any herbicide applied.
● Keep traffic to a minimum on all establishing turf until it has completely rooted. For seeded areas this may take until spring, for sod this should take two weeks under good conditions.
● Keep the soil surface damp until the grass roots have developed and the turf is ready for traffic.
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