Start with a good feeding. Select a quality lawn fertilizer that can feed the lawn over time. These are normally marketed as slow or time release products. Make a feeding now to provide the needed nutrients that can stimulate some growth to thicken the lawn and fill in the bare spots. Most lawns like to grow during the early fall months so this feeding is timely. Follow the label instructions on the product you choose.
Now there is a lot more you can do to improve your home lawn. Here are a few things needed to get your grass back in shape:
- Fill in the bare spots
- Start to remove big patches of weeds - lots of crabgrass
- Do weed control once you match the weeds with a control product for your lawn type.
- Control lingering chinch bugs and sod web worms
- Keep the soil moist when it does not rain
- Aeration could be performed with compacted, hard to wet or nematode infested lawns.
- Seeding time is over for bahia lawns until spring
- Start new lawns with sod
- Check soil acidity and adjust pH as needed.
- Keep mowing your turf at the highest level.
Feeding time is over for zoysia, centipede and bahia lawns. Extra fertilizer this late in the season makes them susceptible to fall problems.