October 2020 News From Fairway Green

As we mentioned last month, fall is an important time for lawn care! Here are some things to be aware of as the temperatures keep getting cooler.

Fall Fescue Seeding

Since North Carolina is in the transitional zone, fall is the best time to seed your fescue lawn. This allows the seedlings and young plants to develop before the warmer temperatures return in May. At Fairway Green, we began seeding in late August and will continue seeding through the last week of October.

We offer slit-seeding and aeration, based on the condition of your lawn. We handpick our seed, which we call Southern Perfection, for high-performance, brown patch resistance, and heat/drought tolerance.

southern-perfection-turf-seed — Certified TWCA “Southern Perfection”

After Seeding

Remove leaves from your lawn as soon as possible. Blowing is preferable to raking if you have young fescue.
Adjust your mower to the highest setting.
Water your lawn consistently.
Be patient. It is common to have seed germinate and develop throughout the winter and early spring.

Why is My Grass Seed Not Germinating?

If you used a quality turf type fescue, there is likely nothing wrong with your seed. Germination has been slow this fall due to the dry weather we’ve had. Grass seed requires a certain amount of constant soil moisture to germinate so if that level isn’t reached, it will not germinate. Quality seed can lay on the ground for a long time without germinating, but still be viable and germinate when it gets the right amount of moisture.

If you’re experiencing this, we remind you to be patient and water your lawn consistently. Applying new seed over this seed is not necessary.

Other Common Lawn Problems in Fall

Large Patch Fungus

As we mentioned last month, it is large patch fungus season for zoysia, Bermuda, centipede, and St. Augustine lawns. This can be controlled with two applications of fungicide in the fall. Preventative fungicide is the only way to control this disease.

Poa Annua

Also called “annual Bluegrass”, poa annua is a grassy weed that pops up in the fall and winter. Now is the time to apply a pre-emergent to help control poa annua and other winter annual broadleaf weeds.

Doveweed

This aggressive broadleaf weed is one of the newest problems in this area. It looks like grass and has small blue or purple flowers in the summer. It spreads rapidly and is very difficult to control. To fight doveweed, we apply two applications of a product called Tower. These applications are completed in May/June and July/August and typically result in 75% control.

Grubs

We are still seeing grub activity and turf damage. Grubs damage the turf by eating the root system of the host plant, typically in late spring through fall. This will leave your turf looking off color and wilted, similar to other disease, drought, and heat stress. If you’ve noticed this appearance or have seen increased activity from birds, raccoons, skunks, and moles, you may have a grub infestation.

Schedule Your Fall Lawn Care Appointments Today

If you’re ready to get your lawn in the best shape for fall and winter, schedule your treatments in the customer portal or give us a call at (919) 329-0095 in the Raleigh area or (704) 392-0811 in the Charlotte area.