Master Gardeners: Spring tips for growing a lush lawn
BY BILL SEVIER Ask a Master Gardener
Saturday, March 16, 2013
3/16/13 at 5:48 AM
Q: I have both Bermuda and
fescue lawns, and I can’t keep it
straight about what to do to each
and when. Help. S.H., Tulsa
A: Lawn care can be
confusing, especially when
you have a mixture of lawn
grass types. A mix of grasses
is common because we live
in a transition zone between
where warm and cool
season grasses grow best.
The warm-season grasses —
Bermuda and zoysia — would
rather be in central Texas,
and the cool-season ones
— tall fescue and Kentucky
bluegrass — would prefer
Nebraska.
The reason they are called
warm- or cool-season grasses
is they grow and perform
best during that respective
season.
Bermuda and zoysia go
dormant (turn brown) in the
fall but begin to green up in
March/April; they grow best
when it’s hot. These grasses
need fertilizer when they are
growing: from April (after
green-up) to late August. It is
recommended that Bermuda
grasses get 2 to 5 pounds of
actual nitrogen fertilizer per
1,000 square feet in divided
doses during this growing
period. Zoysia needs about
half as much per season.
If you intend to either
dethatch or aerate Bermuda
or zoysia, do it at the start of
their growing season: March
and April. Likewise, if you
wish to seed or lay sod, do
it after the ground warms.
The best time for this is May
and early June. If you wait
until later, there may not be
enough time for roots to be
established before winter.
Tall fescue stays green all
year but goes into partial
dormancy in the heat of summer
and in winter. It grows
best in spring and fall before
the extremes of temperature
develop.
Fescue should receive
fertilizer during its active
growth periods. Ideally it
needs 1 pound of actual
nitrogen fertilizer per 1,000
square feet each application,
three to four times per year.
This is best done with one
or two applications from
late February through late
April and another two doses
in September and again in
November. Never fertilize
fescue in summer: It will
make the grass susceptible to
heat damage and disease.
Fescue usually does not
need dethatching. If aeration
is done, it is best to do
this from mid-September
through October.
There is almost always
some loss of fescue from the
summer heat, necessitating
reseeding. This may be done
in spring or fall; however, the
spring-planted grass usually
dies in the summer. Fall is
far and away the best time to
reseed fescue.
For more detailed information
go the website at
tulsaworld.com/mastergardners
and review the turf section.
If you have a garden-related question
for the Master Gardeners to answer
in a column, call 918-746-3701.
Garden tips
- Cool-season lawns such as bluegrass, fescue and ryegrass may be fertilized now with the first application of the season. Usually, four applications of fertilizer are required per year, in March, May, October and November. Never fertilize these lawn grasses in summer.
- Start your routine fruit tree spray schedule prior to bud break. Contact the Master Gardener Office for a document outlining recommendations for all fruit tree types - they are not the same.
Original Print Headline: Spring tips for growing a lush lawn
Associated Images:
A fescue lawn holds its green color into the fall, but it goes into partial dormancy in the extremes of summer and winter. BILL SEVIER/Courtesy
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