• NO (NO)
    Applying a high Nitrogen lawn food stimulates vegetative growth.  If soil moisture is limited or unavailable, it just doesn't make sense to try to promote foliar growth until conditions are more favorable, like perhaps in late September or October.

I have a whole lot of crabgrass!  "Join the club" because most of us have lots of crabgrass.  Why?  Because crabgrass is a warm-season annual grass that grows from seed each year.  If the cool-season perennial turfgrasses are under significant stress (brown & crunchy), crabgrass is able to do as it pleases and take root at will.

So, does this mean I should just  "put up"  with a little brown in my lawn?  No, you should put up with a whole lot of brown and wait until the time is right to reseed and get your lawn back to an acceptable state.  And this is a great time to consider reseeding with some of the newer turf varieties that have proven themselves to have greater drought tolerance. 

REALLY . . . What should you do?  We suggest you plan to reseed (overseed) your lawn during September.  (Overseeding means planting new grass seed into existing turf.  One major advantage to overseeding is that the potential for soil erosion is minimized since the existing turf is not removed. If lots of weeds or undesirable grasses exist, you may wish to apply Killzall (Glyphosate) to the foliage a day or two before you overseed.) If your turf performance has been less than ideal, get your soil tested and find out exactly what fertilizer you should be buying for application at time of reseeding and for future applications.  You will spend about $20 for a soil test which will analyze the existing Phosphorous and Potash in your soil, as well as the pH of the soil.  A soil test is the ONLY way to determine what the appropriate fertilization program for your lawn really is.  We will be happy to give you specific instructions on how to take representative soil samples and send them to the lab for analysis.

When you reseed, it is imperative that the new seed makes positive contact with the soil.  A power rake has about 24 or so blades that spin vertically and make small shallow grooves in the soil.  Using a power rake is not especially difficult, and these are available at most rental stores.  A steel garden rake may also be used to scratch the surface of the soil prior to seeding.

Use good quality seed containing NO Annual Ryegrass.  You might want to consider reseeding with a mixture containing Turf-Type Tall Fescues, which are noted for excellent dark green color and exceptional drought tolerance.  We like ExecuTurf  Playmaker Mixture which contains 80% Turf-Type Tall Fescues.

At the time of reseeding, it is important to use a "starter" type fertilizer to aid in the development of a strong root system.  We offer several different analyses and can make educated recommendations based on the results of your soil test.

And finally, keep the seedbed uniformly moist by sprinkling at least twice daily to hasten seed germination.  At this point there is no need for deep waterings, however, light sprinklings to keep moisture present around the new seed is important.  It will take several weeks of these light sprinklings to get the grass up and growing; and as more seeds germinate and the grass begins to cover the bare soil, waterings will start becoming less frequent and of longer duration.

After the third mowing, it will be time to fertilize the new lawn with a high-Nitrogen fertilizer like Fertilome Lawn Food + Iron.  And if you get your seed established in early September, you will be fertilizing around mid-October.  You may also fertilize again around Thanksgiving, based on the results of your soil test.  While you won't hear any radio ads promoting "Feed your lawn . . . feed it" in November, this is actually one of the very best times of the year to fertilize.  We will tell you more about that as the time draws near.