Feed Your Lawn Now for a Better Spring
Hello, again!
If you have ever signed up for a long run or bike ride, you've probably been told to indulge in something like a large plate of spaghetti and garlic bread the night before. By doing this, you're loading your body up with carbohydrates to burn during the event — hopefully giving you an extra boost towards the best possible result. Our lawns and landscapes benefit from a similar "carbo-loading". By providing them a balanced feeding in the fall and winter months, we can help them attain their best possible results next season.
According to Kansas State University, fall is the ideal time of the year to feed cool-season grasses. As our days shorten and temperatures moderate, our lawns thicken up by tillering (forming new shoots at the base of existing plants), reducing the space that weeds can occupy. Through extensive research, KSU recommends applying 1-1.5 lbs of nitrogen per 1,000 sq ft, with a second application a month later. This will ensure your turf has an early spring green-up and will provide the nutrients until next summer.
ferti•lome Winterizer for Established Lawns is specially formulated to protect, nourish, and strengthen grass roots during the winter months. Applied in fall, Winterizer for Established Lawns pays dividends in the spring when your lawn is healthier and more disease-resistant, even after a long, cold winter. Trees, shrubs, ornamental plants, and evergreens will also benefit from a fall application of Winterizer.
If you have dealt with early spring broadleaf weeds such as henbit, chickweed, and dandelions, fall is an ideal time to control those fall-germinating weeds. Being small and actively growing in the fall, they are easily controlled with ferti•lome Weed Free Zone as a liquid spot treatment, or Weed-Out Plus Lawn Fertilizer as a substitute for your late fall application of Winterizer.
With our moderate weather conditions, I'm also adding a few fall vegetables to the garden. Like last fall, we have both soft-neck and hard-neck garlic varieties to plant. Garlic is easy to grow, with a similar life cycle to our spring-flowering bulbs. Plant now and they will grow in the spring for an early summer harvest. We also have cole crops such as broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage, which are cold-tolerant, letting you enjoy fresh garden vegetables into the holiday season.
Don't forget, our Pansy Mania Days are happening NOW through Oct. 11. Spend your Mania Money on regular-priced merchandise for up to 50% off your total purchase. The stores are stocked with pansies, mums, pumpkins, bulbs, cole crops, and more for your fall garden. Don't let these savings pass you by.
Your friend in the garden,
Marty Johnson
Owner - Johnson's Garden Centers
