Now’s the time to winterize your lawn

The cooler fall weather is bringing about a change in your lawn.  The grass isn't growing as vigorously, there's less top growth and typically, you're mowing less frequently. While top growth has slowed down, grass roots are still very active storing nutrients and moisture, getting ready for the winter season.  All this activity at the root level makes this time of year an important time to feed your lawn. Applying lawn fertilizer in October benefits your lawn by strengthening the root system and getting the grass ready for winter. 

The most important nutrient for fall lawns is Nitrogen, the first number listed on the bag. Fertilome Winterizer contains 25% Nitrogen, plus Phosphate and Potassium to help your lawn absorb and store the fertilizer you apply now. A 20 pound bag of Fertilome Winterizer will cover a 5,000 square foot lawn. A forty pound bag of Fertilome Winterizer will cover 10,000 square feet.

Another choice for fall lawn fertilizer is RichLawn® Fall & Winter Turf Food. This turf food is produced locally, is organically-based and has a 15-3-6 formula. Most of the 15% Nitrogen will be stored in the roots, where it will stay until the spring.  This 40 pound bag of Richlawn® Fall & Winter Turf Food will cover 6,000 square feet of lawn. The benefit of feeding your lawn now comes next spring when the lawn emerges from its dormant state and there are enough nutrients in the roots to feed the grass. This means quicker green-up and stronger top growth early in the spring season.  After applying winterizer fertilizer, water your lawn thoroughly to help the fertilizer get down to the roots.  

In addition to feeding your lawn, this is a good time to work on the soil your grass grows in. You can aerate by hand or hire someone to aerate the lawn for you. Core aeration will help relieve soil compaction.

Leave the cores on the lawn. They will disappear in a few weeks.

Soil Activatvor is granular humic acid. Humic acid helps break down clay and improve soil structure. Better soil structure encourages stronger root growth. will help your grass roots grow. Soil Activator helps your grass take up nutrients and fertilizer better.

Another soil supplement to add now is granular Revive®. Revive® helps break up compacted soils, gets water to the root system and helps your lawn take up iron, magnesium and other elements in the soil. Water your lawn thoroughly after applying Revive® and Soil Activator. In addition to watering now, your lawn will benefit from watering during the winter.

About every four to five weeks, use a simple sprinkler to water your lawn. This will also benefit the trees and shrubs planted in or near your lawn. Winter watering is especially important where the lawn and trees are surrounded by sidewalks and streets.