$1 for 3 months. Save 97%.
$1 for 3 months. Save 97%.

Gardening tips: How to treat your lawn in the fall

Pat Smith

After abundant rain in the spring, our lawns greened up nicely and stayed green throughout the summer.

However, recently, the rains have been smaller and fewer and the lawns are beginning preparations for winter dormancy. The rule of thumb has been: if you are only going to fertilize your lawn once annually, do it in the fall.

That means our lawns are just about out of the additional boost we gave them last fall. This slowed vigor and readiness for dormancy allows your lawn to be vulnerable to some fungal diseases that typically attack residential turf in the fall.

Rust outbreaks are common in yards with perennial ryegrass and Kentucky bluegrass, especially in the fall when the grass has been allowed to grow taller.

Rust requires temperatures of 50 to 60 degrees and long evening/night period when dew can fall. From a distance the rust appears yellow-green but if you walk through it, the spores are released and leave orange markings on your shoes.

Those spores will then spread the rust to other areas by the wind or equipment such as mowers. They will overwinter in your turf. Fortunately some of the newer varieties are somewhat resistant. The best prevention is maintaining a healthy and vigorous turf and following recommended cultural practices.

Dollar spot is another fungal disease that common in the fall. It is caused by a specific fungus, Sclerotinia homoeocarpa, which causes changes in the leaves of grass but does not damage the roots or crowns.

It is noticeable as round spots in your turf that are an inch or so in diameter and tan-colored. Dollar spot appears in residential turf such as perennial ryegrass and Kentucky bluegrass and also affects golf courses, putting greens and fairways.

Damage to golf course grass can be substantial. It survives over the winter in infested turf debris. Dollar spot spreads through infected leaf blades and movement in the lawn by maintenance equipment such as mowers and aerators. The causative organism is a naturally occurring part of the turf microbial community.

Some varieties of creeping bentgrass have been developed which are highly resistant to dollar spot. A number of fungicides are effective against both of these diseases but would usually have to be sprayed at intervals and it is usually recommended that a lawn service by contacted to do this.

Another problem in the fall which likely started in the summer is goose grass or cleavers. This is a grass that is similar to crabgrass and germinates 2 to 3 weeks later than crabgrass. It is an annual weed that tends to grow in areas of compacted soil such as along paths.

It is best controlled by lessening the compaction of the soil and the application of pre-emergent herbicide in the spring. Goose grass produces hundreds of seeds so even though it is an annual that dies off during the winter you will probably have it annually because of all the seeds.

Pat Smith is a Licking County Master Gardener Volunteer.