Fall Lawn maintenance in Chesterfield MO

         Fall Lawn maintenance in Chesterfield, MO

             

Fall is a great time to repair the damage that may have occurred to your Chesterfield MO lawn during the summer.  Chesterfield lawns took a pretty good hit during the summer with high temperatures for long periods which required a lot of watering.  High temperatures and a lot of watering turned into lawns with fungus.  Lawn fungus caused a lot of brown patches and dead spots in lawns.  Ours was no exception despite liberal application of expensive fungicides.   

When considering lawn repair, determine the kind of grass that you have.  Many lawns in Chesterfield have tall fescue or Kentucky Bluegrass.  Both of these grasses will do well when reseeded in the fall.  The cooler temperatures and increased moisture helps seed to germinate.  If you do seed in the fall, seeds must stay moist to germinate.  Seed will germinate when temperatures are consistently in the 68-85 degree range (soil temps of 55 degrees).  Seeding with approximately 6-8 pounds of grass seed per 1000 SF of lawn for tall fescue and 2-3 pounds per 1000 SF of lawn for Kentucky bluegrass should do the trick.  Lawns should be fertilized in September and again in November before winter so that the grass will have nutrients all winter long.  There are also winter fertilizers that can be applied.

Spring is not a good time to seed.  Seedlings need time to germinate and establish a strong root system.  Often a short spring that leads into high temperatures quickly will not allow these root systems to develop and the grass will die. Spring seeding also prevents the application of pre-emergence that controls crabgrass later in the summer.  Spring seeding can cause significant weed problems later in the year. Therefore, seeding is best done in the fall.  There is a relatively short window to put seed down in.  Once the peak heat is over, seed during September and October before the leaves start to fall.  Once they fall, it is difficult for sunlight to get to the seedlings and encourage the new growth. Leaves need to be removed on a regular basis until the trees are empty.

Overseeding your Chesterfield MO lawn in the fall will get it in great shape for a beautiful spring.