Lawns love the cool weather of autumn in the Pacific Northwest. The grass returns to its bright green color and begins to grow in earnest again. Mowing to the correct length is important for your lawn’s health. A length of 2.5 to 3 inches is the ideal length for autumn lawns preparing for winter. Mowing too short will result in shallow roots, and your lawn won’t be able to cope with the stresses of freezing weather. Spare yourself the trouble of hauling and dumping bags of lawn clippings, and leave them where they land on the ground. Lawn clippings provide a natural mulch, and gentle fertilizer for your lawn. Leaving lawn clippings on your lawn throughout the mowing season can equal an entire treatment of fertilizer.
During the fall and winter, your lawn begins to store nutrients to make it through to the next spring growing season. Visit us at the Snohomish and Monroe Co-Op to pick up a bag of organic or conventional 16-16-16 (Triple 16) all-purpose fertilizer. The 16-16-16 formula will provide a boost of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus to give your lawn the nutrients it needs for the next springtime to roll around. It will also help protect your lawn from disease when it’s at its most vulnerable state in the winter. Apply your first autumn-season fertilizer around mid-September. You can also use a compost top-dressing to provide nutrients to your lawn. Try bringing home a couple bags of G&B Organics Soil-Building Compost, available at the Snohomish and Monroe Co-Op. This will add organic, gentle nutrients to your lawn without the risks of burning or chemical run-off.
Fall is also a good time to aerate your lawn. Aeration will reduce thatch, clumping, and soil compaction, and it will improve fertilizer availability to the lawn. Make sure to use an aerator that removes plugs from the ground. The plugs can be left on the surface of the lawn to decompose, returning the nutrients to the soil.
If you have mossy patches in your lawn, the Snohomish and Monroe Co-Op can help. Moss growth indicates conditions on the ground that are relatively difficult for other plants to grow. Soggy soil, shade from large trees, and poor soil quality from lack of nutrients are all conditions that mosses love. To get rid of moss quickly, an application of ferrous sulfate will burn the moss, turning it black, and will extremely weaken the plants. Remove the moss, fertilize the area and plant grass seed to cover over the bare spot. Regular mowing, fertilizing, and aeration will all contribute to soil conditions that favor grass, rather than moss.
Grass grows best in sunny, well-drained locations with a neutral soil pH of about 6.5 - 7. Because of generous amounts of rain, soils in the Pacific Northwest tend to be acidic and depleted of nutrients. Lime is a great product to control acidic soil conditions in your lawn and garden. However, spreading too much lime on your plants can cause damage and can even kill them. Make sure to pick up a soil testing kit at the Snohomish and Monroe Co-Op to test your soil before applying lime. If you have a pH of 4 or 5, a September application of lime in addition to fertilizer or compost will help your lawn’s overall health. At the Snohomish and Monroe Co-Op we sell relatively inexpensive bags of lime in powdered and granulated form. Because rectifying acidic soil in your lawn will help your grass grow stronger, this can also help deter moss from growing.
Mid-September to Mid-October are optimal times for overseeding your lawn. The soil is still warm enough for germination, and we usually see a healthy amount of rain to keep newly spread seeds moist. The Snohomish and Monroe Co-Ops have a good selection of grass seed to suit any lawn. From Premium Lawn seed, to Playground area seed, and Sun and Shade mix, you can count on finding high-quality grass seed with an excellent germination rate. For best results when overseeding in the fall, top dress your lawn with potting soil or topsoil at a rate of approximately ¼” to ½” deep. Overseed at a rate of 2 pounds of seed per 1,000 square feet of lawn. Lightly rake seed into the surface. If you can, go over the lawn with a roller. Grass seed must be in contact with soil to germinate. Make sure you keep the over-seeded surface moist but not soggy, until germination. Wait to mow your new grass until it’s about 1/3 taller than the normal height at mowing. If September turns out to be hot and dry, you can delay over-seeding up to Mid-October.
Visit us here at the Snohomish and Monroe Co-Op for all the soil amendments, lawn seed, and fertilizers you’ll need to keep your lawn thick and healthy throughout the year. With a little bit of attention, your lawn will be strong enough to survive the winter freeze, coming back in full force in the spring. Don’t forget to treat your lawn mower engines to Ethanol-Free Gas, found at all of the gas pumps at the Snohomish location. We are here to help you and your lawn at the Snohomish and Monroe Co-Op.
We’ll see you at the Co-op!
