Jonathan Green Timely Tips Logo
September 2009
Fall is the best time to seed & feed!
Greetings!grass and fall leaves blowing

Fall is the best time to plant grass seed for a beautiful, healthy lawn. Fall lawn seeding is ideal because of better weather conditions, the soil temperature is warm, weed competition is less and the hot dry summer is gone!

When to apply lawn fertilizer is almost as important as the fertilizer you apply. The most important time to apply fertilizer is in the fall. This is when you will want to help the grass plant develop a strong root system that will produce thick, healthy, green grass next spring.


Follow these tips for a lawn that will not only look great now, but also in the spring!
Seeding
  1. For maximum germination, please be sure that the grass seed is in firm contact with the loosened soil. If the lawn has not been mowed, do so before raking the ground to loosen the soil. In the case of larger areas, use of a rented, motorized, thatching machine can be helpful in the establishment of a seed bed. While raking, remove
    dead grass, stones, sticks, etc. from the lawn area.
  2. Apply my Jonathan Green New Seeding Fertilizer and MAG-I-CAL if needed. In the absence of a soil test, apply 1 bag of MAG-I-CAL at the correct rate. Seed, Fertilizer and MAG-I-CAL can be applied (in any order) on the same day, and should be raked lightly into the soil.
  3. Pick the proper seed for the growing conditions of your lawn. My Black Beauty Ultra, Black Beauty, Shady Nooks and Sun & Shade are just some of the premium grass seed mixtures you have to choose from. I have bred drought tolerance, improved disease resistance and a pleasing dark-green color into my turfgrass. Also, many of my grasses contain beneficial endophytes, so they are naturally resistant to insect damage.
  4. Apply seed at proper rates listed on bag by hand or with a spreader. Do not seed too heavily. Using my Green Mulch Seed Establishment Mulch can be helpful to establish seed.
  5. Seed bed should be kept moist for a few weeks while the grass seed germinates, until the lawn needs mowing. Light waterings are of benefit during the early days when the newly seeded area is germinating. Within a few weeks after the newly seeded grass needs to be mowed, you can decrease your watering schedule.
  6. Once the lawn is established, it is important to water your lawn deeply each time you irrigate. This means watering for at least 30 to 45 minutes in each area of the lawn which gets full sun and 10 to 20 minutes in areas of partial to deep shade.
Fertilizing

My Jonathan Green Winter Survival Fall Fertilizer provides nutrients to help your lawn develop a stronger, more vigorous root system. This unique formulation, including Iron and Sulfur, make your lawn thicker and greener than ever before, while preparing the lawn for Winter. Your lawn will stay greener, longer into the year, and will provide better green-up next Spring, too. Winter Survival can be applied to all grass types and at the same time you apply grass seed.

If you are following an organic lawn program, my Jonathan Green Natural Beauty Organic Lawn Fertilizer or my Organic Lawn Fertilizer will improve the health of your soil, repairing damage from the summer heat. A fall application of MAG-I-CAL is ideal to improve soil conditions in place of limestone.

Consult with your dealer and my Jonathan Green Lawn Care Calendar and my Organics Product Guide for a follow up lawn maintenance program.

To view Jonathan Green's informative videos to help you achieve the best lawn in town, click here.

Sincerely,
Jonathan Green Signature
Jonathan Green
Seedsman

fall products