The Hort Report: September is most important time of year to fertilize cool-season grasses in your yard

The weather has been dry the past few days. Many of you should be watering your vegetables to make sure they get plenty of water this time of year. 

When watering, water early in the morning or early in the evening for about one hour before sunset. Watering at these times of day will allow your vegetables to get the most out of the water. 

Watering is important for any fall garden vegetables you have planted in the past few days. Plan on watering them every few days this fall.  

September is the most important time of the year to fertilize cool-season grasses in your yard. Use a fertilizer with an N-P-K ratio of 20-8-8 or 24-8-12 on cool-season grasses that are starting to regrow now that the long hot days of summer are mostly over for this year. The fertilizer will be there now and carry over into the following spring. 

With the regrowth of the cool season grasses, remember to mow high. You want them to put down larger roots now to survive a hard winter. 

As you mow, check to see if you need to overseed or remove and replace your yard grass. You can overseed or renovate your yard in the fall. Spring is a better time of year to start a totally new yard.

If your yard has less than 50 percent weeds and unwanted grasses, you can overseed or renovate it.

Start by mowing your yard short. Mow in one direction, then mowing across the way you mowed before to loosen weeds, old thatch and grass. Rake the yard, going in one direction the first time, then raking in another direction the next time. Gather all the weeds, thatch and grass you raked up and put it in a compost pile. If there are many weeds, burn what you raked up.

Raking the yard also will open the soil in your yard. This will allow fertilizer, lime and seed to get into the soil. 

Do a soil test to know what nutrients and the amount of lime your yard needs. Use a N-P-K ratio of 3-1-2 in the fertilizer you will be applying. Now is the time to add lime to your yard. 

Next, apply your new cool season grass seed. The new improved mixes are more stress tolerant to the weather. They have more hybrid vigor and are more insect and disease resistant, too. I use a hand seeder to sow any grass seed.

Rake the soil helping to cover the new cool season grass seed, fertilizer and lime you applied. 

You may need to start to water your yard if it doesn’t rain in a few days after you rake the yard. Keep the yard moist so the new cool season grass seed can germinate and get a good root system started before winter sets in.

Now is a good time to plan on saving flower and vegetable seeds. When picking flower seeds, use twist ties, rubber bands or string and tie them to the flowers seed heads you want to save seed from.

Let flower seed dry on the stem. The seed head should turn brown and be completely dried. Store the seed in an airtight glass container. Put different flower seed varieties in separate bags sealing them in a glass container.

I appreciate all of your questions. Thanks and please keep them coming. The only way I can keep learning is getting you the right answers to your questions.

Call me at 573-588-2040 at Shelby County Implement in Shelbina, Mo., email sci63468@hotmail.com or visit me on Facebook at Greenwell’s Greenhouse Group.

Pat Greenwell is the owner of Shelby County Implement in Shelbina, Mo. He was a high school agriculture teacher for 11 years. He has taught adult vocational agriculture since 1987. He also is a research assistant at the Truman State University Ag Department Farm.