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Northern Gardening: autumn lawn care key in cooler weather

Although we have been experiencing hot weather into September, cooler weather is in the forecast, so this is a good time to have a good look at your lawn and plan for its fall care.
lawnmower

Although we have been experiencing hot weather into September, cooler weather is in the forecast, so this is a good time to have a good look at your lawn and plan for its fall care.

With this summer’s drought and possible insufficient or inappropriate watering, many lawns are suffering. A deep watering once a week (at least one inch of water) is better than more frequent, smaller watering. In areas where there are tree or shrub roots underneath, a deeper watering is required.

The depth of the topsoil under the lawn should be at least four inches for a healthy lawn – six inches is better. If your topsoil is inadequate, something you can check by putting a shovel down into the lawn and measuring, you can top-dress both spring and fall until the desired depth is reached.

Mowing methods also affect the health of your lawn. Allowing the grass to grow long and then cutting it short stresses the lawn. Remove no more than the top third of the grass, and mow more frequently. Cutting to a height of two to four inches helps the grass withstand hot dry weather and helps to shade out weeds.

What can you do if your lawn has been neglected? To begin, fall is a good time to aerate and dethatch the lawn, allowing air and water to penetrate. This can be followed by topdressing, levelling and seeding.

There is a choice of seed to use. For years people have been trying to get rid of clover in the lawn, but small leaved clover is a good addition to a lawn, especially with the lawn pesticide ban in Manitoba. It is green, drought resistant and provides nitrogen for the grass.

Another option is to use a mix of grass, clover and yarrow (available at William Dam Seeds). This mix is drought resistant and resistant to lawn pests. There are other low maintenance mixes from various sources. These alternatives require less frequent watering and mowing.

When fertilizing, organic or slow release synthetic fertilizers are best because they are more likely to maintain soil organisms that help to keep a lawn healthy. In the fall, you want your lawn to slow and prepare for dormancy, so timing is important.

It is not necessary to fertilize in the fall, but if you do, wait until about three weeks before freeze-up. A fall fertilizer application can promote the storage of sugars in the crown which helps winter survival and spring greening.

Timing of fall fertilizer application can be tricky with our unpredictable weather. Hopefully this year we will at least be able to rake leaves off the lawn before the snow flies.

Horticulturalist Mary Wright has lived in Denare Beach for over 20 years.

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