Time to Tune Up Your Turf

Fall is the perfect time to fine tune your lawn. By preparing your warm season turfgrass for dormancy and overseeding with ryegrass for the cool season, you can take the necessary steps to ensure your lawn stays green throughout the holidays and into spring. If you’ve already overseeded, or are still planning to overseed then these Arizona lawn care tips will help you make the most of your lawn this fall.

We’re filling you in on the best way to fertilize, water, mow and maintain both your cool season turf and your dormant warm season sod.

Arizona Lawn Care Tips

Fertilizing

Both cool and warm-season turgrasses benefit from feeding early fall. You’ll want to fertilize before you seed, 10-14 days after seeding, and 3-4 weeks after that (usually around Thanksgiving). You’ll want to use a combination fertilizer with a small amount of fast-release nitrogen and a larger portion of slow-release nitrogen for your initial fertilization. For your second or third fertilizer application, we recommend Soil Burst 4-4-3 to encourage the growth of your cool season grass.

Arizona Lawn Care Pro Tip: Stay away from ammonium sulfate this time of year for optimal results

Watering

Once your lawn is established after overseeding, it’s time to drastically cut back on watering. The first two weeks of growth require 3-4 mini shots of water a day and now you can get away with one. Set your sprinklers to run first thing in the morning for 10-15 minutes for the next 7-10 days. After the seed has been growing for one month, reduce your watering schedule to every 3-5 days depending on rain, temperature, and need.

Arizona Lawn Care Pro Tip: If you notice your lawn is developing a bluish gray tint or it’s not bouncing back when you walk on it, that is an indication that it’s time to water.

Mowing

Mowing high and often is the best way to cultivate a healthy lawn and help eliminate a lot of weeds. Remember, a tall lawn is a healthy lawn since they have more leaf surface to collect sunlight and promote growth both above and below the surface. Cut tall fescue to two and a half inches tall, ryegrass, fine fescue and Kentucky bluegrass to two inches, St. Augustine between one to two inches and bermuda and zoysia from half to one inch.

Arizona Lawn Care Pro Tip: Never take off more than a third of the grass height at any one time.

Dormant Turf Maintenance

With a warm fall on the horizon, your lawn is likely to experience some extra life and color late in the season. Apply a fertilizer with a good potassium source to give your lawn strength throughout the winter. Also apply Barricade or other pre-emergent herbicides to control annual winter weeds.

Arizona Lawn Care Pro Tip: Dormant turf should be watered every 3-4 weeks in the winter to maintain moisture, but usually won’t need water as supplemental rain will usually be enough.

Help with Overseeding

Overseeding your warm season grass for the first time? We’re here to help. Our step by step instructions and overseeding guides can get you through the process. We’ve also compiled a list of frequently asked overseeding questions to help you with your Arizona lawn care. Check out a more detailed post on specific overseeding instructions, frequently asked questions and more help from our sod experts here.