By Heather Kolich, Agriculture & Natural Resources Agent, UGA Extension Forsyth County
As the weather transitions into fall, there are some things we should – and shouldn’t do – to help our lawns and landscape plants survive the winter and reemerge for a healthy spring green-up.
DO: Apply preemergence herbicide to lawns in early to mid-September to prevent winter annual weeds. The good thing about annual weeds is they only reproduce by seed. Another good thing about annual weeds is that timely applications of preemergence herbicides in September and February can prevent many annual weed seeds from becoming plants. The following granular preemergence herbicides control annual grasses and certain broadleaf weeds and are safe to use on established bermudagrass and tall fescue lawns:
- Benefin
- Benefin + oryzalin
- Benefin + trifluralin
- Dithiopyr
- Pendimethalin
These active ingredients are available in products under a variety of trade names. Read the label for the list of active ingredients and application directions.
DO: Clean up fallen leaves and blossoms around landscape plants. Discard leaves of plants that had fungus or other disease problems so they can’t serve to reinfect the plant with spring rains. Sanitation is a key tool in disease prevention.
DO: Plant woody perennials. Fall planting allows root systems to acclimate and grow into their new environments without the stress of supporting leaf and flower growth under summer heat. Establishing strong roots is essential for long-lived, thriving plants. Not sure what to plant? Check out our fall plant sale, with native perennial fruits like blueberries and dwarf red mulberry trees, and pollinator-friendly native ornamentals like American beautyberry and pink muhly grass. Visit https://extension.uga.edu/county-offices/forsyth.html and click on the Fall Plant Sale picture. Order plants now and pick them up at the Extension office on October 23.
DO: Start a compost pile. Instead of bagging or burning fall leaves, compost them into a rich, free soil amendment. A simple compost pile consists of two parts brown material (fall leaves) and one part green material (vegetable scraps and fruit peels), plus oxygen and enough water to keep the pile uniformly moist. Turn the pile every 2-3 weeks and add water as needed. Composting microbes work more slowly during the winter, the finished product should be ready by spring.
DON’T: Fertilize bermudagrass or other plants winding down for winter dormancy. Fertilizing plants stimulates growth, disrupting the transition to dormancy and producing tender new growth that could be damaged with the first frost. Applying nitrogen to bermudagrass in the fall also sets the stage for diseases problems in the spring.
DON’T: Prune. Like fertilizer, pruning stimulates plants to grow and produce new buds – not what they need when they are supposed to be cycling down for winter.
DO: Take a class with Extension. We’re partnering with Cumming Library for two evening classes in September: Planning Your Pruning and Improving Your Soil. See below for details.