The key to winterizing is to use a granular fertilizer that is lower nitrogen and higher in potassium and phosphorus. These elements serve to strengthen the grass root structure, creating density and thickness. A thicker lawn will resist other problems that can invade through the season.

The only thing you need to be concerned with this time of year is frost. You never want to walk on frozen grass as this can crack the crowns and kill sections of the lawn. If you are going to lay down that final fall treatment as recommended, be sure to do it on a sunny afternoon when there is no frost present on the lawn.

This post was short and sweet, but oh so important. Get out this weekend and winterize your lawn before it is covered in snow!

In Chicago and the Suburbs, it can be tough to find a contractor who can aerate your lawn. In fact, many folks have been contacting me to get their lawn aerated but I am booked up! But you still need to get your lawn aerated!

What you can do is use my friends at Service Magic
. They are able to find you a contractor who can perform an aeration and their service is 100% free to you! They don’t hassle you either with a bunch of phone calls or emails. They just send you the results of their search and you choose if you want to go from there.

Get your lawn aerated!

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Lawn Tips For Fall:

Aeration is the process of pulling cores of soil from the lawn in an effort to relieve compaction and allow grass roots to grow deeper and thicker. Keep in mind that a thick root system is the key to a healthy lawn.

During the long summer, clay-based soils become extremely hard and compacted. Imagine trying to grow grass in your cement driveway. Now take that same condition in to your lawn and you will see the need to aerate.

In addition, by opening up the lawn, you allow air, water and nutrients to penetrate the soil, thus enriching it.

The final benefit with aeration is thatch management. Thatch is the layer of organic material (like dead grass) that resides just above the soil line in the turf. Some thatch is good because it helps retain moisture and prevent soil erosion. But too much can allow fungus to grow in the lawn, as well as create shallow rooting.

Aeration effectively punches holes in the thatch layer; enough to keep it to manageable levels.

On a final note: you need to use a professional core aerating machine that actually pulls cores from the soil. We don’t want to just “poke holes” as that defeats the purpose.

Go out this weekend and rent an aerator (about $50 for 4 hours) or call your local lawn contractor and get him out there to get this done for you. Fall is the time to aerate!
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Following are some simple tips that will help to make sure that your lawn stays healthy, even if you can’t see it under the snow, and that will help assure that it thrives when spring returns.

lawn maintenance
If you do live in an area where you have regular snowfalls, then you will want to be sure that your strategy includes making sure that all areas of the lawn are free of debris and clutter before the first big snowfall of the year comes along. Proper lawn maintenance in preparation for winter snow would include raking the leaves, removing sticks, and disposing of any other type of debris that just doesn’t belong on your lawns.

Even if you are not expecting much in the way of snowfall, it is still important to be sure that the grass isn’t left under piles of leaves or other rubbish that can interfere with the grass receiving proper moisture, nutrients and air. While the growth of grass often comes to a halt in the late fall, it can still die if it is buried under any kind of yard debris.

home and garden
Many people have the mistaken idea that summer is the most important season for controlling weed growth. But the opposite is actually true and it is important to understand this in order to plan good lawn care for the lawns that surround your home and garden. While the growth of grass often comes to a halt in the late fall, it can still die if it is buried under any kind of yard debris.

Fortunately, because your grass will be growing so slowly during the fall and winter months, it is rather easy to spot the progress of the weeds during this time. Just make sure that you give a bit of attention to your lawn during these months and get those weeds pulled, or apply weed killer, so that they don’t overrun the lawns and ruin the look of your landscape design.

front lawn
If you like the look of a think, full lawn even through the wintertime, then it is a good idea to plant rye grass, bluegrass or other types of northern grasses which all tend to be heartier and will endure through the colder months of winter. One of the lawn care advantages of using rye grass in your lawns is that it grows well mixed with your current grass and will make your lawn look fuller and lusher. However, the rye grass will actually die off and your regular grass will take over as it comes to life in the spring.

If you plan to plant any winter grasses, like rye, then they will stand the best chance of taking root and growing well if you plant in October. And, even with chilly weather you need to be sure the newly planted grass seeds get enough water. If you have a week of dry weather, then you will want to be sure that you water so that the rye gets one to two inches of water every week. Utilizing these simple lawn care tips will give you the best looking lawn in the neighborhood, come summer.

Lawn Winterizer Fertilizing
The first thing to consider is your lawn’s root health in regards to nutrients. I always recommend a final application of fertilizer around October or November. The fertilizer you choose should be a mix contain some nitrogen, but more concentrated with porassium and phosphorus. These last two elements strengthen the lawn’s root system which does most of its thickening in the cooler fall months. A good analysis will look like this: 20-20-10 or 15-15-15. You may not find those exact analysis, but get something similar.

Fall Lawn Aeration
Aeration should be done every year on every lawn, no matter what. Make no mistake; this is the most important thing you can do to your lawn. Aeration loosens up compacted lawn soil and allows the nutrients from your winterizer fertilizer to get to the root system. It also helps break down the thatch layer that accumulates during the hot summer.
After your aeration, it is a great time to put down some fresh grass seed. Many people are confused about what type of grass seed to use. If you are unsure, you can take a sampling to your local university extension for proper identification. Otherwise, you should buy good quality bluegrass and perennial rye grass mix for sunner areas, and fine fescue for shady areas. These general seeds will mix with most lawn types just fine.

Final Lawn Mowing
I get so many people sending me email everyday wondering when they should cut their lawn for the final time of the year. It seems people just can’t wait to put that mower away for the year and break out the snow blower. It’s simple: your last mowing should be when day time temperatures are consistently in the mid-40s. In addition, you should mow your lawn 1” lower than normal on the final cut. This is because snow will pack down on it and if it is too long, the blades will die and leave heavy layers that you will have to rake out in the spring.

Lastly, you should look into purchasing ice melt and snow melt early this year. I have been in touch with my suppliers, and they are already predicting a shortage. You should never use too much ice melter on your driveway or sidewalk because it can harm the grass. Always follow the labeling. Most safe deicers and snow melters with calcium chloride will be best for you grass, trees and shrubs and concrete surfaces.

It is very important that you take these basic steps now if you want to help your lawn for next year. Taking this advice now will definitely payoff for you come spring showers next season.

Mowing is the single most important factor in lawn care. That’s right, if you are not cutting your lawn properly, you will NEVER achieve thick, green turf despite your best efforts. You can spend hundreds of dollars on fertilizing, aerating, seeding and watering, but if you don’t utilize ALL of the following tips, you’ll have nothing but a yellow, thin, scalped patch of dirt and weeds. Mowing is that important!

Mowing Height

There are a number of websites out there that tell you how high to mow your grass depending on the turf types contained in your lawn. If you have bluegrass, it’s between 2.5 and 3″ or if you have fine fescue, it’s 3″ or more, etc. But do any of you really know what’s in your lawn? What if you have varied grass types depending on shade content from the front to back yard? Are you gonna adjust your mowing height in the midst of the cutting process? Of course not!
So here’s some easy advice that is goof-proof: set your mower wheels to the second-highest setting and forget about it. If you do this, you’ll be just fine and your grass will not suffer from scalping.
Scalping occurs when you take off more than 1/3 of the grass blade in one cutting. This causes the less-course “underbelly” of the grass blade to be exposed to direct sunlight and dries it out.
In addition, if you cut the lawn too low overall, you are exposing the root system to direct sunlight and it will dry out and shrivel or go dormant. Grass plants need that blade to produce food through photosynthesis, so don’t take that away.
I tell customers to think in terms of themselves: If I lose a fingernail, I will be just fine and it will grow back; but if I cut off my entire arm, I will be in some serious trouble.

Mowing Frequency

Not only is mowing height important, so is the consistency of the cutting. Remember, we do not want to remove more than 1/3 of the grass blade in any single mowing. If you let the lawn grow tall for 3 weeks and then cut it, you will be removing massive amounts of the grass blade no matter how high you have your mower set.
The minimum requirement for most lawns is weekly cutting. Anything less than this and you are in danger of harming your turf. If you do happen to miss a week because of vacation, I recommend raising the wheels up to the highest position for the cut, and then a couple days later, mow again at the normal setting illustrated above.
Another problem associated with letting the lawn grow too tall prior to cutting is the clumping of the discharged grass. Even if you have a good mulching blade and powerful mower, long grass will clump if left uncut. These clumps smother areas of the lawn and kill it, leaving thin spots for weeds to invade the next year.
Grass clumps also cause a thatch buildup that will ruin your lawn in time as well.
If you can’t mow your lawn consistently, I advise hiring a service to do it, or maybe you should consider moving to a condo. You owe it to your turf to keep it nicely groomed!

Mower Blade Sharpening

A dull mower blade will rip the grass blades. Those ripped tips turn almost white and will give your lawn an overall brownish appearance. Imagine having your hair cut with a dull razor blade … not a pretty site!
I tell homeowners to have their mower blade sharpened at the beginning of each season. If your lawn is big (over an acre) you may consider having the blade(s) sharpened again in July just to be safe.
If you don’t want to sharpen your own mower blade, you can take it (or the whole mower) to any lawn mower maintenance shop and they will do it for under $10. They also can do a quick run over your mower and check the oil and filters for a few additional dollars.

Mulch or Catch the Clippings?

This one is as debatable as Ford vs Chevy but I will give you some sound advice anyway.
If you are going to mulch the clippings (let them grind under the mower deck and fall back into the lawn) you will need to first verify that you have an actual mulching blade installed on your mower. Don’t try to convert your bag-only mower into a mulcher by removing the bag and cutting … this will cause clumping. If you’re not sure about the blade, either consult your mower shop or go buy a new one labeled for mulching and install it new.
In addition, I have seen so-called mulching mowers that don’t have the horsepower to properly mulch the clippings. If you are going to mulch, your mower should be a minimum 5 HP but 5.5 or 6 would be better. You need to have that blade turning fast in order to properly mulch the clippings to tiny bits.
Mulching is good for the lawn as it recycles the nutrients back to the soil. If you are using a properly-powered mulching mower with a sharp blade, you will be fine. A common myth is that mulching mowers contribute to thatch buildup. Once again, the right mower makes all the difference here.
I have a very nice Lawn Boy mulch/catch mower and I bag my clippings. I do this for the simple fact that I don’t have as much sidewalk and driveway clean up to do after I cut. I also use the bagged clippings for mulch around a few small trees I am cultivating in my back yard.

Mowing Direction

Finally, you should mow your lawn in different directions each week so it does not lay down one particular way. If you mow the exact same direction every week, your grass will be trained to lay one way (much like training your hair to lay over) and this will cause issues. It will also form “ruts” in you lawn.

If you take the above tips and follow them correctly, you will be setting a good foundation in taking your lawn to the next level in color and thickness. Then you can worry about the watering and fertilizing.
Your questions are welcome.

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Lots of late spring rain coupled with temperatures in the high seventies and eighties set up the perfect breeding ground for many common lawn disease problems. Add in some humidity, and you have a “perfect storm” of lawn problems.

Some of the more common lawn fungus problems are rust disease, red thread, summer patch, and dollar spot. None of these will turn into serious problems if you are willing to do a little work and change some of your habits.

Since we can’t control the weather, we need to make effective choices in the cultural practices we can control. Mowing high and watering consistently, but deeply and never at night are just 2 of the best ways to help control lawn diseases. In addition, you should bag your lawn clippings when conditions are favorable for fungal development.

Granular fungicides available at your local home center will work to prevent a majority of disease problems, but timing is crucial. It is best to get an application down prior to any onset of disease in the turf, meaning you should get some down in later May or early June if possible. A second granular fungicide application will serve your turf well in July.

Nitrogen is also an important factor in keeping lawn diseases to a minimum. Proper amounts of soil nitrogen allow grass to basically, “grow through” the fungus problems before they become a problem. I never recommend quick releasing synthetic fertilizers, however, because they “push” the grass plants, causing too much top growth.

It is always best to use an organic product for lawns that releases nitrogen slowly and consistently over time. Organic lawn fertilizers come in many forms, but bio-organics tend to give better results.

The final step in ensuring minimum disease pressure in your lawn is to manage the thatch layer. Thatch is the layer of dead grass and leaves that all lawns have just above the soil line.

Some thatch is good as it keeps the turf’s roots shaded and maintains moisture levels, but too much will harbor disease. If your thatch layer is more than one-half-inch thick, it is time to aerate and reduce it. You can aerate your lawn at any time during the year, as long as your machine can pull a good plug. If you can’t aerate and your thatch is too thick, it’s time to break out the rake and get those elbows working!

Whatever you do, don’t panic! Turfgrass is very forgiving and tends to live through most anything. Just keep up your proper mowing and watering, and fertilize regularly to keep that lawn looking its best!

Basic Considerations For Watering Your Lawn

1) Adjust sprinklers to water only grass areas. I cannot begin to tell you how many times I see homeowners with sprinklers that are throwing more water into the street than into the turf.
2) Mow grass to a height of 2 to 3 inches. Taller grass shades the roots and soil surface and helps reduce the amount of water lost to evaporation. When in doubt, raise your lawn mower wheels to the highest setting.
3) Use sprinklers that disperse large drops low to the ground vs. high and misty sprays. Impact or impulse sprinklers are the best option.
4) Utilize quality water hoses with fittings that do not leak and waste water.

When to Water Your Turf

• 1) About one inch of water, twice per week (including rainfall) is adequate for maintaining a healthy lawn. Use a can or rain gauge to help determine the amount of water applied each time.
• 2) Water on a consistent basis in the summer. Keep your lawn on a schedule whenever possible.
• 3) A good soaking twice a week is better than watering lightly every day. Allowing the soil to dry between watering will allow the roots to grow to greater depths and help make turf more drought tolerant.
• 4) Water during the cool part of the day to minimize water lost to evaporation. Early morning hours prior to 9AM are the best. I tell folks to start their sprinklers when they get up for work (assuming they do not have an in-ground irrigation system), and shut them off on their way out the door. This usually means 1 solid hour has been utilized and equates to about an inch on the ground.
• 5) Avoid watering during midday hours when it is hot and sunny to prevent scalding the
• turf.
• 6) Watering at night is not recommended because the lawn stays wet for a long period in the night air which can bring disease and affect the health of your lawn.

When Watering Restrictions Hamper Your Irrigation

Township or city watering restrictions are sometimes imposed due to limited treatment capacity or reduced water supplies. Here are a few ideas in the event severe lawn watering restrictions are needed in your area.
1) Water less frequently, but gradually reduce the amount of water you give your lawn. This will help reduce stress and condition the turf if a complete ban on lawn watering becomes necessary.
2) Reduce the amount of foot traffic allowed on the lawn as much as possible. Let the kids play ball at the public park and not in your dried-out back lawn.
3) Allow the grass to grow longer to reduce moisture loss from the soil. You should also mulch your clippings so natural moisture is returned to the lawn.

Water conservation does not mean your lawn turns to straw and dies, it just means you have to educate yourself and follow a few simple guidelines and follow them strictly for the good of your lawn, and the environment.

But there is one issue that lawn pros and environmentalists come together and agree on, and that is that bagged “Weed and Feed” products are NOT conducive to healthy lawns or our environment.

I have previously written about pesticides, lawns and our environment, but want to reiterate some of the key points for you here as we near the fall season.

Why Weed-Feed Is Bad for the Environment

1. Bags of Weed-n-Feed sold to homeowners contain an over-abundance of nitrogen which detroys the soil and pushes too much top growth. They most normally contain “quick release” fertilizers that create fast greening, but no sustainable long term benefit to the turf.
2. Many experts will tell you that phosphorous leaching into groundwater is the big problem with these bagged products. And while I am not a fan of dumping mass amounts of anything on the lawn, I believe if homeowners and pros alike would follow labeling instructions, they are not endangering our groundwater or lakes. The key is FOLLOWING the DIRECTIONS on the bag! (I included this one in the interest of covering all bases!)
3. A granular weed-n-feed product like popular ‘4-step’ products contain herbicide and fertilizer in one convenient bag: just dump in your spreader, set the release rate, and lay it down…easy! The problem is that you are hurling massive amounts of granular weed killers everywhere weather there are weeds there or not. In addition, much of this granular mix is left on driveways and sidewalks where it runs off into the street and down the sewer drain.

It doesn’t make sense to throw weed killer in areas of the lawn where there are no weeds! What’s more, while the weed control does not selectively kill the grass plants, it still puts heavy stress and pressure on them and can weaken them over time.

What to do Instead of Using Weed-Feed

I recommend a balanced approach that utilizes target weed control as needed with the eventual goal of eliminating it completely.

This is accomplished by spot-spraying weeds using a garden pump sprayer with liquid weed control mixed with water (according to label instructions). In some cases, a blanket application of liquid weed killer may be needed, but over time, this will be reduced until the weed problem is manageable by good old fashioned “pulling” by hand. (My own lawn is now managed by just hand pulling of weeds)

In addition to spot-spraying of weeds, I recommend slow-release organic or semi-organic (called ‘bridge’ products or ‘hybrid’) lawn fertilizers. These products will add nutrients to the soil without destroying it in the process. They also support healthy soil biotics which are the foundation of healthy turf. Organics do need heat in order to break down, so use organic fertilizers in later spring and early fall.

On a final note: it’s not a good idea to completely “refuse to use pesticides” in your lawn if you indeed do have a major weed problem.

Think about this: if your weeds go to seed every year and spread out to all the neighbors on your block, and they do not share the same environmental devotion as you, won’t you be indirectly causing them to put down greater amounts of pesticides every year? Your weeds will continue breeding in their lawns, and they will soak them with more weed killer; year after year! Think about that.

As I always say, “Balance is the key.” When Mother Nature operates in extremes (hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes), people and the environment are damaged, but when she sees fit to offer us balanced conditions (warm breezes, light rains, sunny days), everyone is happy. Which attitude should we take?

This article is designed for folks in the Chicagoland and midwest area, known as Zone 5. Keep in mind that there is a difference in adding seed to an existing lawn, and filling in bare spots and starting a lawn from scratch. Whatever you do, never use only one type or species of grass in your lawn. Seed mixtures are best as one will pick up in place of the other during drought, disease or insect pressure. Temps should be above 60 degrees during the day and above 40 at night for best germination.

Kentucky Bluegrass

The primary grass planted in zone 5 is Kentucky Bluegrass. It’s a quality turf grass and makes a fine, soft textured lawn. It has the ability to fill-in thin areas without reseeding (a bare spot the size of a basketball will fill in within a couple months with proper watering, mowing and fertilizing). Newer varieties are more resistant to disease and drought as well. It performs best in full sun, but can be mixed with a fine fescue for use in shady areas. Bluegrass can take several weeks or more to germinate and establish depending on site conditions, so be patient and keep it moist.

If you use a fertilizer that contains iron, like Miorganite or Scott’s plus irone, your bluegrass will actually turn a darker green-blue color! Bluegrass can be seeded or sodded for establishment. 90% of sod you purchase from nurseries is mostly bluegrass.

Perennial Ryegrass

Perennial Rye is the ultimate companion grass. It mixes and blends in with almost any lawn. Most of the perennial ryegrass used in lawns is in a mix of Kentucky Bluegrass or Turf Type Tall Fescue. Its fast establishment time works well with the slower establishment time of Bluegrass and Tall Fescue. It is also a fine textured grass that does well during drought. It is not as cold tolerant as Bluegrass but will survive just fine. This is why I always recommend seed blends!

Fine Fescues

Red, hard and chewings fescues are all used throughout the midwest. Their primary use is in blends with either Tall Fescue or Kentucky Bluegrass on shady lawns. While they can be planted alone, usually they are a part of a mix. Creeping Red is the most popular of the varieties because it looks best as turf. Hard & chewings are used in blends for areas in which increased shade or bad soil types are more of a problem. Here is an article on testing your soil and lime treatments. In addition, there is the Eco Lawn Fescue seed available that can be grown in shade or sun with similar astounding results. It is a good choice if you are unsure of your lawn’s sun and shade content.

Tall Fescue

Tall Fescue is a cool season grass with a coarser, wider blade texture. Leaves usually range as wide as 1/4 inch (like the cultivar called ‘Kentucky 31′), though most modern varieties are finer leaved (‘Armada’ is a cultivar that is softer and thinner, see pictures here of Armada Tall Fescue). It has increased in popularity in the midwest due to its good drought and heat tolerance allowing the turf to stay green in hot summers that usually send bluegrass into dormancy. It is often used on home lawns, roadsides, parks and playgrounds. If you are looking for a turf type tall fescue seed that is both drought tolerant and softer under foot, the Eco Lawn Fescue seed is your best bet.

Turf Type Tall Fescue is very susceptible to leaf spot fungus in later Spring and rust fungus is summer. However, proper soil pH can reduce the effects and help it recover. My lawn is a mixture of Tall Fescue (Armada) and Perennial Rye. I apply a granular fungicide once per year to reduce disease in my lawn. I am also careful to only water my lawn in the mornings before 9AM. In addition, when disease is present, I catch my clippings instead of mulching so as not to spread the fungus.

Zoysia Grass

(disclaimer: I do not recommend using this grass anywhere in the Midwest because it will not green-up until early June… but if you must…)

Zoysia Grasses are grown successfully from Northern Georgia to Northern Illinois. Zoysia makes a beautiful, thick lawn with a medium textured leaf. There are several lawns in Chicagoland that have been seeded or plugged with Zoysia and they do just fine.

Zoysia grass originated from areas in Southeast Asia, China and Japan. It is a low growing, creeping grass, heat resistant, and crunchy under bare feet. Zoysia is slow to establish but aggressive and chokes out weeds and doesn’t get grubs. Once it’s established, it’s extremely thick!

Other grass seed information

If you are starting a lawn from scratch, you can do like I did and use Turf Type Tall Fescue mixed with Perennial Rye. If you are seeding bare spots and are not sure what grass types your existing lawn contains, choose a seed with bluegrass and rye grass mixed and you’ll be just fine. Never buy anything labeled “quick grow” as this is oftentimes made up of annual grasses that die after the first season.

If you are doing a general overseeding after aeration, you can add a mix for sun or shade. It’s a good idea to add new cultivars to older lawns to improve their resilience.

If your lawn is bluegrass, DO NOT add tall fescue to it as the fescue will stick up above the rest and look funny.

After choosing your seed, it is just a matter of keeping it moist and in contact with the soil. If you do that, it should germinate nicely.

Dog Urine Lawn Burn is worse with female dogs that usually have stronger urine, and also squat in the same spots, but happens with male dogs too. 

Your dog’s urine is highly acidic and can kill the grass it comes in contact with, similar to burning a lawn with over-fertilization. Imagine dumping a handful of granular fertilizer in one spot: One of two things will happen, either the spot will turn dark dark green, or worse, it will turn brown from burning. This is what the dog’s pee does to your grass.

4 Ways to Combat Dog Urine Burn in your Lawn

• The most common treatment is to saturate the urine spot with water. Enough water has to be used to dilute the urine or even completely wash it away. If you don’t use enough water, you may save the lawn from burning, and instead have lots of very dark green spots where the urine was diluted to the point of actually helping the grass… just not evenly!
  This approach to control dog urine problems takes a lot of time and is difficult to get right, but I have many many customer who use this method will moderate success.
  

• Another way to combat urine burn is to train your dog to do his business in one area of the yard that has been designated as his personal bathroom. It’s a good idea to segregate that spot with river pebbles, sand or even artificial turf. This way, you can clean it up easily. This one shouldn’t be too difficult; afterall, you trained the dog not to pee in the house, and this is just another step along those same lines.

• Another method is to alter the pH of the urine, which can be done by modifying your dog’s diet. Brewers Yeast is found in most dog food, but it’s not at a level that has enough effect on their urine acidity. Some say an additional teaspoonful of Brewers Yeast added to the dog’s daily diet, can reduce the pH of the urine enough to prevent lawn damage. Some folks purchase Brewer’s Yeast in tablet form as well. You can get Brewer’s Yeast for Dogs at many safe online retailers.
  

In addition to altering the pH or the dog’s urine, you can help alter the pH in your lawn soil by adding lime. If there are common areas on the lawn that are affected by the dog’s urine, sprinkle them with lime. If you are unsure, you can perform a soil test prior to utilizing lime as a neutralizer.

Just remember, if you can train the dog to go in one central area, the lime idea works well. Many folks have asked me if it is possible to burn your lawn with lime, and the answer is “no” you can’t burn your grass with lime. A 25lb bag of lime is available at Menard’s for $2.98. It’s cheap and works! You just have to stay consistent.

A final note, a friend of mine actually installed a “pee post” for her dog and taught him to life his leg on it each time he had to go. This keep all th urine in one spot. I just wouldn’t want to have to clean that post!