Extension-Wise
Published Weekly in the Madison County Journal - Adam Speir, Madison County Agriculture Agent
Fall Lawn Tips
October 11, 2012
Fall is one of the potentially busiest times for folks looking to care for their lawns. Overseeding bermudagrass,
winter weed control, fertilizing and reseeding tall fescue, soil testing and liming are all important things to be
thinking about. Here are some specifics:
If you have a warm season lawn such as bermudagrass and you still want a green lawn for the winter months,
overseeding with a cool season grass such as annual ryegrass is an easy thing to do. Prior to overseeding, you
will want to mow your bermudagrass as low as possible without scalping the grass. Apply seed at 5-10 pounds
per 1,000 square feet and then water twice a day for the first 3-5 days to keep the seed moist (but don’t
overwater) until germination. After the seed has germinated, reduce watering frequency to 2-3 times per
week but increase the amount of water dependent on rainfall. Once the seed has germinated, you can also
apply a complete fertilizer at the rate of ½ pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet (example: 5 pounds of 1010-10 per 1,000 square feet) monthly until February. Start mowing once the ryegrass has reached 2 inches
and continue to maintain it at a 2 inch height. Make sure your mower blade is sharp as a dull blade can
actually pull ryegrass seedlings out of the ground. One very important point to keep in mind is that having
your warm season lawn overseeded with a winter grass does put stress on your lawn by competing for
resources in the late fall and the early spring when warm season grasses are stockpiling resources for the
winter and coming out of dormancy in the spring. Removing the ryegrass before the bermudagrass or other
warm season grass starts to green up will be important to give it a good start.
When overseeding an existing tall fescue lawn to fill in thin spots, use 3-6 pounds of seed per 1,000 square
feet depending on how much tall fescue still remains. If seeding a new tall fescue lawn, use 6 pounds per
1,000 square feet and cover with straw at about 1 square bale per 1,000 square feet. Prior to spreading tall
fescue seed, either aerate the soil or use a hard rake to increase seed to soil contact. Water seed regularly
until the seeds have established a root system. Use a starter fertilizer with a higher percentage of phosphorus
and then again in November with a regular complete fertilizer at 1 pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet at
4-6 week intervals until February.
Most of our winter weed seeds have already germinated so use of preemergent herbicides will not be as
effective but you can still apply preemergent herbicides to already established lawns. Several broadleaf weed
killers can be used on weeds in tall fescue and non-selective herbicides such as glyphosate can be used on
dormant warm-season grasses to kill weeds.
Soil testing is a good idea now for lawns. If your soil pH is too low, you will have time to apply lime and have it
start working in the soil profile before spring.