Fall is here, and winter is close behind. It’s important to take the proper steps to help your course recover from summer stress and prepare for the cold ahead. Below are some common practices to do just that.
Aerate
Aeration relieves soil compaction, which can prevent air, water, and nutrients from reaching the root zone. After proper fertility and amendments, your turf will grow back stronger and healthier.
Fertilize
In early fall and winter, applying a fertilizer containing high levels of nitrogen, such as ATS 22-3-11, is the best option. A high-nitrogen fertilizer helps the turf recover from aeration, provides the ideal color, and promotes more uniform growth.
Foliar-Pak has an excellent fall foliar program for cool-season grasses. This program improves carbohydrate storage as turfgrass “hardens off” with decreasing daylight hours. Below are the products and recommended use rates for the program.
- Foundation Forty: 1 fl oz per 1,000 sq ft
- 1-0-15: 3-6 fl oz per 1,000 sq ft
- Amperage: 3 fl oz per 1,000 sq ft
- Calcium: 2-3 fl oz per 1,000 sq ft
- CSi L: 1-2 fl oz per 1,000 sq ft
Warm-Season Considerations
It is not recommended to aerate warm-season turf in the fall. The turf cannot recover due to cooler temperatures. Mower heights need to be raised and a high-potassium fertilizer applied to promote root strength. Nitrogen doesn’t need to be applied because warm-season turf will use up all of its energy for growth leading into winter.
Reach out to your ATS representative to secure the products you need for a successful fall fertility program this year.
