Tall fescue lawn maintenance calendar

1 fall Fescue Lawn Maintenance Calendar These suggested management practices will help you care for your lawn through¬ out the year. Location, terrain, soil type and condition, age of lawn, previous lawn care, and other factors affect turf perfor¬ mance, so adjust the following manage¬ ment practices and dates to suit your particular lawn. March through May Mowing Mow to 2 /2 to 3 /2 inches. Mow often enough so that no more than one-third of the grass height is cut; this may be every 5 to 7 days in late spring. Leave grass clippings on the lawn where they decompose quickly and can provide up to 25 percent of the lawn’s fertilizer needs. If prolonged rain or other factors prevent mowing and clip¬ pings are too plentiful to leave on the lawn, collect them and use them as mulch. DO NOT bag them for trash collection; grass clippings do not belong in landfills. Fertilization DO NOT fertilize tall fescue after March 15. Watering Tall fescue needs 1 to 1 'A inches of water every week, ideally all at once. A dark bluish-gray color and wilted, folded, or curled leaves indicate that it is time to water. Water until Distributed in furtherance of the Acts of Congress of May 8 and I une 30, 1914. Employment and program opportunities are offered to all people regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. North Carolina State University, North Carolina A&T State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local governments cooperating. the soil is wet to a depth of 4 to 6 inches. Use a screwdriver or similar implement to check. Sandy soils require more frequent watering (about /2 inch of water every third day). Because clay soils accept water slowly, irrigate just until runoff occurs, wait until the water has been absorbed, and begin watering again. Continue until the desired depth or amount is applied. Proper irrigation may prevent or reduce problems later in the summer. Watering between 2 and 8 a.m. decreases the incidence of certain diseases. STATE UNIVERSITY Л&Т STATE UNIVERSITY COOPERATIVE EXTENSION Helping People Put Knowledge to Work Weed Control Apply preemergence herbicides to control crabgrass, goosegrass, and foxtail. Apply by the time dogwoods are in bloom. ( See Pest Control Recommendations for Turf grass Managers, AG-408). Insect Control Check for and control white grubs in April and May. (See White Grub Control in Turf, AG-366). Aeration Delay aeriation until fall. Thatch Removal It is generally not necessary to remove thatch. June through August Mowing Mow to 3 '/2 inches and mow before the grass gets taller than 5 inches. Fertilization DO NOT fertilize tall fescue at this time. Watering Either water as needed to prevent drought stress or allow the lawn to go dormant. Dormant lawns must be watered once every 3 weeks during a drought. Disease Control Tall fescue is highly suscep¬ tible to Brown (Large) Patch Disease, which appears as irregularly shaped patches of dead or dying turf. Brown Patch likes high humidity and temperatures above 85" F. It becomes extremely severe during prolonged, overcast wet weather with evening air temperatures above 68" F. and daytime temperatures in the mid- to upper 80s. Do not apply nitrogen fertilizer when the disease is active, keep the mowing height above 3 inches, and water between 2 and 8 a.m. Apply fungicide during severe Brown Patch outbreaks. (See Diseases of Cool-Season Grasses, AG-361 .) Weed Control DO NOT use herbicides at this time. Insect Control Check for and control white grubs in July and August. College of Agriculture and Life Sciences - NC State University School of Agriculture and Allied Sciences and Environmental Sciences • NC A&T State University