Home Maintenance

Growing Grass

Feb/March: 

·         Apply pre-emergence herbicides to control crabgrass, goose grass, and foxtail. 

·         Apply fertilizer

April – August: 

·         No fertilizer

·         Apply weed control if needed but must not have fertilizer in it

September- November: 

·         Apply broadleaf herbicides to control broadleaf weeds like chickweed, henbit, and other weeds 

·         Apply fertilizer

December- February: 

·         Apply broadleaf herbicides as necessary for control of chickweed, henbit, or other weeds

·         Apply fertilizer

March – May

Mowing:  Mow to 2 ½ to 3 ½ 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 clippings 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.  You will encourage Brown Patch Disease if you do.

Watering:  Tall fescue needs 1 to 1 ¼ inches of water every week, ideally all at once. Water between 2 and 8 a.m..   This decreases the incidence of certain diseases.

Weed Control: Apply pre-emergence herbicides to control crabgrass, goose grass, and foxtail. Apply by the time dogwoods are in bloom.

June – August

Mowing:  Mow to 3 ½ 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 susceptible 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.  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.

Weed Control:  DO NOT use herbicides at this time. 

September – November

Mowing:  Mow to 2 ½ to 3 inches in height.

Fertilization:  Have your soil tested. Ask your county Cooperative Extension agent about a free soil test. Then apply the nutrient your lawn needs. If you don’t test, apply a complete nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium (N-P-K) turf-grade fertilizer with a 3-1-2 or 4-1-2 ratio (that is, 12-4-8 or 16-4-8). Fertilize with 1 pound of actual nitrogen (N) per 1,000 square feet in mid-September and again in November (about the time the grass is green but not actively growing). You need to apply 1 pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet, so how much fertilizer do you need to buy? Divide 100 by the FIRST number of the fertilizer bag. (The first number always represents nitrogen content.) For example, if you’ve got a 10-10-10 fertilizer, divide 100 by 10 and you get 10. That means you need to buy 10 pounds of fertilizer for every 1,000 square feet of lawn.

Watering:  Water following guidelines for March through May.

Weed Control:  Apply broadleaf herbicides to control broadleaf weeds like chickweed, henbit, and other weeds as necessary.

Caution: Some herbicides may affect newly seeded turf. Follow label directions.

Insect Control:  Check for white grubs in September and October; fall is the ideal time to control white grubs.

Aeration: Aerate lawns that are subject to heavy traffic or on clay soils. Remove plugs and break them up to put the soil back into the lawn.

Renovation: Piedmont and Coastal Plain Regions Only! Overseed thin, bare areas as weather cools (August 15 to September 1). Use a blend of “turf-type” tall fescue cultivars at 6 pounds of seed per 1,000 square feet, and apply a starter-type (high phosphorus) fertilizer. Keep the seedbed moist with light watering several times per day. Do not let the seedlings dry out.

December – February

Mowing:  Mow to 3 inches and remove leaves and other debris.

Fertilization:  Fertilize with 1 pound of actual nitrogen per 1,000 square feet in February.

Watering: Water following guidelines for March through May.

Weed Control: Apply broadleaf herbicides as necessary for control of chickweed, henbit, or other weeds.

Want more detail:

http://www.turffiles.ncsu.edu/PDFFiles/000017/Tall_Fescue.pdf