Fall Yardwork

Since I have lived in the South for 26 years, now, my yardwork and gardening knowledge is based on this region. On that note, most of this article will focus on the yard tasks that should be performed in the fall for our zone 7. However, I have been searching online and found some very informative sights that cover all zones of the US. Those web sites are provided in the Resource section of this article.

Moving on to the “Sunny South”…at this time of year, “sunny” is a very appropriate label for our area of the country. The yards have suffered a little this year due to the lack of rain over the summer, and our water supply is low, so we are currently on water restrictions for outside watering.

On that note, a landscaper who writes articles in our neighborhood newsletter recently stated that most established shrubbery and lawns can survive on one inch of water per week, even if that one inch is applied all at one time. Fortunately, we haven’t been restricted to only watering one day per week, yet, but that was a good thing to know. Note, however, that the rule applies to established yards – new yards of less than one-year-old need to be watered, during the hot months every other day, if possible.

Fertilizing lawns: Fall is the time to fertilize Fescue, about mid-September, and to apply a “winterizer” fertilizer to Bermuda lawns. It is recommended that the winterizer be applied about six weeks before the first frost is estimated to occur. Do not fertilize Zoysia, Centipede or St. Augustine lawns at this time.

Planting Fescue: Fall, mid-September, is the best time to plant fescue, whether it is seed or sod, because fescue is a cool-weather grass and stands a better chance of becoming well-established in the cooler months. If you seed, cover the area with wheat straw to retain moisture and protect the seed from being eaten by birds. Fertilize the new fescue lawn about eight weeks after being planted, around November.