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When I can fertilize my grass again? Will that help the brown parts?
This was one of the hottest, driest summers on record, and you know, a lot of our lawns aren't looking so hot. In fact, you may have areas that are just like dead and some that are looking like they're about to be. So what do you do about that?
Fall is one of the most important seasons for turf to regain and strengthen its health going into winter. So it's important to make sure that it has adequate moisture and a little bit of fertilizer. The best and most important time to fertilize through the whole year is in the fall: early to mid October.
But you want to do it in moderation. Too much doesn't help: it just washes off into the creek and helps feed winter weeds. Instead, use a moderate amount of fertilizer—about a half pound per 1000 square feet of lawn—that's actual nitrogen content. That will provide the turf a little bit of boost that will take it into winter and return strong and better in the spring.
Take-all patch also attacks this time of year. If you've got a weak or distressed lawn you're more likely to see increased problems with it in the next few weeks. Apply a very thin layer of peat moss to help defeat take-all patch, and improve the lawn's look overall very quickly. You want to spread about a bale to two bales of peat moss over 1000 square feet and then water it in well.
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