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Tall fescue fertilization in transition zone

6K views 12 replies 7 participants last post by  kevreh 
I read thru this in the past and I think I linked to it once. I dont live in a transition zone, and I could not find a ton of info in the past. The following is just my opinion.

Pushing fertilizer (synthetic or organic) when the lawn is in heat stress causes more problems than benefit. This forces the lawn to produce more top growth when it is trying to survive. If you have irrigation with good coverage, you might be able to push it a bit more than without it. I personally change to lower qty nitrogen and more frequent once temps approach 90F. I then stop once the temps are above 90F.

One benefit that you normally have (not this cold year) is that your lawn doesnt really go dormant, so you could/should still apply nitrogen in the Winter (they recommend a pound in February).
 
@scz71864 lowering the hoc as the lawn transitions into fall does help with fungual issues. Once the high heat of summer reduces, the extra height makes the lawn retain more moisture. A lowering allows it to dry faster and be less of a petri dish. I know that folks in the transition zone have more fungus challenges than cool season zone.
 
rockinmylawn said:
First post here on the board - so don't want to be controversial :? - but I did noticed that last fall when I scalped my lawn in anticipation of doing these 3 things: overseeding + winterization with 46-0-0 Urea + keeping a short turf to deal with the leaves - it caused a problem this spring so far - uneven growth & dormancy still many spots.
So it appears - at least for my lawn - that the short cut made the grass more susceptible to the harsh temps & winds of the winter & made my lawn lag vs. my neighbors.
Welcome to TLF. I think I've seen your post on ATY.

We like the respectful exchange of ideas and experiences. So, nothing controversial in sharing your experience. How low did you go and how did you transitioned into it? Do you want to share a picture?
 
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