Watering

Over the last 30 days rainfall has varied around the metro area. There are areas of the metro that received a good rainfall a week ago while other areas of the metro haven’t received a ¼” rainfall since the end of August.  This is a reminder that it is important you know how much rainfall you have actually received, not the official rainfall for Oklahoma City. 

Your lawn and landscape require at least 1” of moisture every week through the fall. 

Moisture is important for plants as we head into the winter.  Don’t allow your landscape to experience drought stress now. 

Because day length is shorter, the sun angle is lower, and temperatures are cooler in October, deep soaking every 4 days for established lawns and landscapes is the best practice.  Newly planted fall seasonal color or new landscape plantings will need to be watered more often.     

One of the best practices for your lawn and landscape this fall is to continue to water for long periods just like you do in the summer but reduce how often you water. Shallow rooted landscapes are often the result of shallow, frequent watering.  Healthy, deep-rooted landscapes are the result of deep, infrequent watering.

Overseeding

September and October are the best time of the year to establish Fescue from seed.  This year, due to warmer temperatures, many have waited to seed their fescue.  If you have not overseeded your fescue areas yet, now is the time to get it done. October seeded Fescue will have time to germinate and mature before winter.   

Remember, the keys to successful seeding are good seed-soil contact and keeping the seed consistently moist until it germinates.

Most disappointments with overseeding are due to not keeping the seed consistently moist for two weeks until it germinates.  The worse thing for new seed is for the seed to be moist, then dry out, then moist, and then dry out again.  Pay extra attention to lawn edges where the soil dries more quickly, and water coverage may not be perfect.

Lawns that have already been overseeded and have been kept consistently moist for at least two weeks are flourishing.  But, lawns that have not been kept moist or have uneven water distribution have areas that are lagging.  If you have areas that are struggling to germinate, supplemental watering in those areas will get the seed germinating. 

For more information on overseeding, visit our article on September 7, The 4 Most Common Ways To Fail At Establishing Fescue.   

As I have been making our customary two-to-three-week follow-up visits after overseeding, I have witnessed the impact of not keeping the seed consistently moist.

Results on lawns seeded the same day in the same neighborhoods vary greatly depending on if they are kept moist or allowed to dry out between watering.

Bermuda Lawn Maintenance

As cooler nights arrive, and days continue to get shorter, warm season lawn growth will slow in October resulting in fewer cuttings in October.  

Avoid scalping the lawn short to finish off the season.  Anytime grass is scalped the plant uses nutrients stored in the roots to produce new leaf blades.  Scalping in the fall will result in a weaker root system going into winter.   Leaving your bermuda lawn at 2” to 2.5” during the dormant season gives your lawn a layer of protection against extreme cold temperatures and weed germination.

Lawn Fertilizer

Fertilize cool season lawns with a high nitrogen fertilizer this month.  Fall is the best time to feed fescue. 

If you have a bermuda lawn, put away the high nitrogen fertilizer for the season.  Even though soil temperatures are still warm enough to promote growth and add color for bermuda lawns, late nitrogen applications are considered a causal agent in the promotion of spring dead spot.

Fescue Lawn Maintenance

Fescue thrives when nighttime temperatures are cooler, and day length is shorter.   

Have you noticed the recovery of fescue lawns since the rain of late August?

The beauty of fescue in the Fall is unsurpassed by any other turf grass.  Mow regularly.  Avoid cutting more than 1/3 of the leaf blade off each time you mow. 

Turf Weed Control

Warm season lawns need two fall pre-emergent applications.  If you have not applied the first fall pre-emergent yet, please do so as soon as possible.  For the best prevention of fall and winter weeds the first application before soil temperatures consistently drop below 70.  The current 3-day average soil temperature in the Oklahoma City metro is 74.

October through early December, a second, winter pre-emergent needs to be applied to keep your lawn weed free until next spring. 

Fall is also a great time to control many broadleaf weeds in warm season turf and established cool season turf. 

If you seeded your fescue this fall, wait until the new grass is up, actively growing, and has been mowed a few times before you apply any pre-emergent herbicides. 

The best way to have a clean lawn next spring is to apply two fall pre-emergent applications this fall, one early and one late.

Spring Dead Spot

A common disease of bermuda lawns that is visible in the spring, but infection of the disease starts in the fall when soil temperatures drop below 70 degrees.  Bermuda lawns that receive late season applications of nitrogen to extend color are more prone to the development of Spring Dead Spot.  Effective fungicides for control are not available for homeowner use, but certified lawn care technicians have fungicides in the Fungicide Resistance Action Group available to treat for Spring Dead Spot.  Two fall applications are required for the best results.  The first application should be made when soil temperatures are in the low 70s with the second application 30 days later. 

Tree and Shrub Fertilizer

Do not fertilize trees and shrubs in October.  Fertilizing now can encourage new growth that will not have an opportunity to harden off before the first freeze, which may result in plant damage.    Wait to fertilizer after we have received our first heavy frost or light freeze.

Seasonal Color

Remove your summer annuals and replace with pansies, kale, and mums for great fall color this month.  Pansies love the cool weather.  Not only will they provide great color this fall, but if they are not allowed to dry out during the coldest periods of winter, they will offer a wonderful blast of color next March and April.   

We covered fall seasonal color in more detail in our September 21, article, Coming Soon to a Landscape Near You – Fall Seasonal Color.  

Landscape Plantings

Fall is the best time to plant most container grown trees and shrubs.  Because soil temperatures remain warm long after the days turn cooler, materials planted in the fall develop strong roots before the following summer heat arrives. 

Often late spring and summer planted container materials don’t develop roots till the following summer. 

Fall planted materials can gain an entire year of development over plants installed in the spring and summer.  Wait to plant ball and burlapped trees until after the first freeze if possible. 

Army Worm Watch

Army worms were back on the scene in September devouring lawns as they marched from lawn to lawn.  The cool, wet late August were the right conditions for heavy populations of army worms in the middle of September.  If you are noticing an abundance of light gray-white moths around your lawn and landscape, you need to be watching for another generation of army worms in October.

From our July 13th post, The Return Of The March Of The Army Worms, here are a few key things you need to know about army worms:

• The adult form of an army worm is a light gray-white moth with mottled wings with a 1 ½” wingspan.   Because army worms do not overwinter in our climate, the moths migrate from the Gulf Coast and Mexico each year arriving in our area in late June.

• Each moth can lay over 1,000 eggs.

• By early July the first generation of eggs have hatched, and the caterpillars go on a feeding frenzy that lasts 2-3 weeks.

• Early caterpillars are green and very small and don’t cause any damage until the reach 1”.   Quickly they grow into a brown, almost black, 1 ½” long caterpillar with black and reddish-brown stripes on each side of the body and small black spots on the top.  Their distinctive mark is an inverted “Y” on the front of the head. 

• At the end of the 2-3 week feeding period, the worm burrows 1” into the soil and enter the pupal stage.  7-10 days later they emerge from the soil as a moth, and the life cycle starts all over.

• The average entire life cycle lasts about 28 days.  There can be 4 to 5 overlapping generations from July through early November, or until we have our first hard freeze. 

• Again, army worms are always present in our summer lawns and landscapes. When populations are normal you may never know they are there.  But, with the right conditions we can see an explosion to turf damaging levels in a matter of days. 

Don’t lose your focus on good lawn and landscape practices as the season slows down.  Your efforts this month will not only reward you now but will also set your lawn and landscape up for a great spring.

Now, head outside and enjoy Fall!   

If you have questions or need help with any lawn and landscape needs, simply respond to this email or give us a call at (405)367-3873. 

Lorne Hall

Hall|Stewart Lawn + Landscape

(405)367-3873