The opening of 2024’s tenth month has cooler weather on the horizon, finally. While the lawn mowing schedule slowed during September with the shortening days, the unusually warm weather kept turf growing at a rapid pace.
The impending seasonal change dictates several behavioral adjustments when it comes to the proper care and maintenance of yard grasses. As with most activities involving horticultural subjects, the correct and efficient chores performed in a timely basis will yield multiple benefits in the foreseeable future.
Fertilizers, if needed, should be the low to no nitrogen blends. Nitrogen, the first of the three numbers of the product’s analysis, stimulates the green foliage growth of plants including turf.
The problem is actively growing grass with tender shoots will then be exposed to a sudden and severe temperature downturn. Depending on the level and duration of the thermometer’s readings the turf will be injured or killed.
Warm season grasses like centipede, zoyzia and St. Augustine are all susceptible to this prospective injury from the overuse of nitrogen at the wrong time of year. Left to their own growth patterns, all of these grasses’ growth slows as the daylight hours shorten.
Turf disease pressure has been especially high in north Florida this summer, especially during the months of August and September. A vast majority of these problems have a basis in fungal pathogens.
Take-all root rot has been a frequent problem in the panhandle in recent weeks. The effective solution starts long before the first symptoms appear.
One aptly named problem is take-all root rot. The pathogen is very common on warm season turfgrass roots when high rainfall results in stress which triggers the disease.
It is commonly observed during the summer and early fall months when north Florida receives the majority of its rainfall and highest temperatures. Prolonged periods of rainfall are most conducive to the disease, and any stress placed on the lawn may encourage it or worsen its effects.
Damage to the roots prevents the turfgrass from efficiently obtaining water or nutrients from the soil, and as a result it is unable to store the necessary products of photosynthesis. The fungus does not attack leaves, but symptoms observed on the leaves are the result of pathogen activity on the root system.
By the time the leaf symptoms appear, the pathogen has been active on the roots for at least two to three weeks or longer. Initial activity of the fungus on the roots can only be observed by examining the roots for deterioration.
This disease is very difficult to control once the symptoms are observed aboveground. Practices which prevent or alleviate stress are the best methods for controlling it and decreasing the potential for extensive and expensive damage.
Unfortunately, if the grass is dead then resodding the lawn in the early spring is the most likely option. In many cases the soil pH is too high and must be adjusted to an acceptable range over the winter to have any hope of success in 2025.
Another early autumn activity is to plot out patches of invasive weeds in the lawn for treatment early next year. After the yard turns brown it is much more challenging to target the offending invaders with a pre-emergent herbicide which will prevent their return.
Chamberbitter, purple nutsedge and crabgrass are three of the most cited interlopers. Targeted spraying before they germinate in spring will reduce their numbers substantially, but only if the correct areas are treated.
While the weather is still warm, keep in mind the relief of cool weather is coming and sweating now will save money and time a few months in the future.
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