Fertilizing now will keep lawn lovely
Question: I remember you said to apply fertilizer to a lawn around Thanksgiving. But during that time, it was cold, and the fertilizer bag says to water frequently.
Fertilizing is different from seeding. I recommend fertilizing tall fescue with a high-nitrogen fertilizer around Thanksgiving. This helps keep the lawn green through the winter months. Once the fertilizer is applied, it should be watered in with a single, normal irrigation.
If you haven’t done it yet, it may not be too late. Pick a warm winter day and apply a high nitrogen fertilizer.
Watering once a week after you apply a fertilizer is adequate but not adequate for seed. This is not the time to seed the lawn. That has to be done when temperatures are still relatively warm but not too hot — usually from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 or thereabouts.
Bob Morris is a professor emeritus in horticulture with the University of Nevada and can be reached at extremehort@aol.com. Visit his blog at
xtremehorticulture.blogspot.com.