Let it Grow: Now is a good time to prep your lawn for next spring – Post-Bulletin

I get a lot of questions on plant pests in late summer. The signs of insect feeding and symptoms of diseases are often not very visible until late summer so they go unnoticed as the pests develop. Gardeners are usually seeking a remedy and oftentimes apply pesticides that have no effect on the pest because they are just treating the symptoms and not the developing pest.

Most plant pests in our region start their development in early spring and complete their life cycle by the fall. These pests are also most vulnerable to treatment early in their development prior to when they have done significant damage to plants. In fact, control practices for most diseases and some insects need to be applied prior to when they start their life cycle.

Despite it being too late to control many problems, this is a good time to of year to identify pests and to determine their severity. Most pests will reoccur to varying degrees every year as long as their host plant is present. Identifying the common problems in your landscape will allow you to plan preventative measures for next season, if appropriate. Most plant pests only cause aesthetic damage and do not require control; however, some can be more serious.

There are a few pests for which fall treatment is appropriate. I will touch on a few lawn tips here and cover other timely pests as fall progresses.

Now is a great time to focus on lawn weeds or other problem areas in your grass. Most perennial weeds are best controlled in early fall. This is also a time when your lawn grass is producing new plants that will displace weeds that are controlled. It is also a good time of year to plant new grass seed in thin areas. Problem crabgrass areas can be lightly tilled to dislodge crabgrass and new grass seed can be put down to displace it.

Fertilizing your lawn in early fall will promote vigorous vegetative propagation without excessive leaf growth that is experienced with spring fertilizer. This allows your grass to fill in thin areas and to store up carbohydrate reserves for next spring's new growth.

Fall is also a good time to aerate lawns. Aerating is most important on high-fertility lawns that have thatch built up. Aerating brings soil to the surface, allowing it to filter back into the thatch. This helps decompose excess thatch and transforms it into new topsoil. Aerating is also useful when over-seeding thin areas to loosen soil and create a good seedbed.

Fall is also a good time to dethatch. Lawns that have excessive thatch will feel spongy if you walk on them when they are wet. The moisture that is held by a thick thatch layer creates good conditions for lawns disease, so addressing thatch problems in fall can reduce disease pressure the next year.

Dethatching is only a benefit under conditions of excessive thatch. Otherwise it just removes valuable organic matter.

Late August through September is a great time to focus energy on lawns. Effort now will really impact the quality of your grass for next season.

Doug Courneya is owner of Courneya Horticulture Services. Doug has bachelor's and master's degrees in horticulture and is a certified arborist with more than 25 years of experience. Send plant and garden questions to life@postbulletin.com or email Doug directly at dcourneya@charter.net.

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Let it Grow: Now is a good time to prep your lawn for next spring - Post-Bulletin