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BLACKSBURG — For most of us, this time of year brings a welcome end to tedious lawn chores, but don’t throw in that garden hoe quite yet, says a Virginia Cooperative Extension turf specialist.
Fall is the ideal time for many lawn chores most folks think are best done in the spring. “Lawn fertilization is something most people think they ought to do in the spring, but that’s really not the proper time,” said Jack Hall, Extension turf grass specialist at Virginia Tech.
During the spring and summer, when sunlight is abundant, grass spends most of its energy generating leaf tissue, Mr. Hall said. That means any fertilizer you give it only helps to grow leaf tissue — it doesn’t get used to develop the vital root system.
In the late fall, however, grass doesn’t have the sunlight to grow leaf tissue, so it pours its energy into the roots.
“When we get serious about trying to maximize root development, we fertilize in the fall, between September and December,” Mr. Hall said. “Fertilizing especially in November and December provides nitrogen to the plant when it can’t effectively use it to grow leaf tissue. Instead, it uses it to grow roots.”
A well-developed root system is important in grass because it helps your lawn stay green and healthy during dry weather, which is very common in Virginia, Mr. Hall said. “Most summers in June, July and August, we get into a deficit moisture situation, so root systems are more important than they might be in other parts of the country,” he
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