A complete fall fertility program sets the framework for turf green-up in the spring, while building summer stress resistance.
Cool-season turf is finally getting the break it needs to recover from the summer stresses of heat, pests and drought. But there’s no rest for the weary – it’s time for a complete fall fertilization program to get your customer’s turf ready for the spring.
Proper nutrient management is one of the most important factors for fall fertilization, so it’s essential to choose a program that works best for turf specific to weather conditions.
Researchers are now finding that a fall fertilization program is creating additional benefits that can carry well into the next year. Recent studies at Ohio State University show that overall plant/turfgrass physiological health is improved for the following season with a fall fertilizer application, vs. turf that is untreated at the end of the growing season.
Fall fertilization also helps turf recover more quickly from summer stress, maintaining a green, turf color into the early winter while provide quick green-up in the spring. Jonathan Copeland, president of CopelandScapes, Inc., located in Gadsden, Alabama, knows the importance of fall fertilization and in addition to turf health benefits, Copeland found an efficient program will yield significant labor savings.
“Serving more than 4 million square feet of turf and vegetation in the transition zone, it is crucial we apply a reliable product in the fall on our cool-season blends of perennial ryegrass and bluegrass that consistently promotes optimal nutrient uptake by the plant,” Copeland says.
Four years ago, Copeland revamped his fall fertilization programs implementing XCU Slow-Release Fertilizer from Agrium Advanced Technologies. The product’s coated urea provides a gradual release of nutrients that allows more consistent feeding in the fall and provides steady, slow release of nutrients for up to 10 weeks.
Copeland’s fall fertilization is simple, one application of XCU in the beginning of October, followed by an early-to-mid December application relieves home and commercial turf, as well as athletic fields from surge growth, yielding healthy plant growth and color for the next season.
“Nitrogen uptake in the turf has increased even though we’ve reduced our number of fertilizer applications, producing a consistent green, without any fade-off, saving our crews time and our company costs,” Copeland says. “Fall fertilization improves the condition of turf and vegetation in the fall and spring – great for us both economically and from a sustainability standpoint.”
A fall feeding can help turf grow deeper roots during the spring. The key is preserving valuable carbohydrate reserves for root development that might otherwise be depleted by excessive shoot growth, which often results from early spring fertilization.
“The benefits of a fall fertilization program are growing beyond the aesthetics of providing seasonally greener turf,” says Dr. Eric Miltner, agronomist, Agrium Advanced Technologies. “LCOs can reduce the amount of fertilizer they use, and a fall feeding sets up the property to become healthier, denser and better able to withstand the stresses of the summer outdoor season.”
The ideal time for fall fertilization varies, largely dependent on soil temperatures so that root systems are still active and can store nutrients. Regardless of the timing, the benefits of a fall program are changing the landscape of fertilization programs.
“The environmental, economic and efficiency benefits of fall fertilization are hard to ignore,” Miltner says. “They span the fall, winter and spring seasons, and create greener, healthier turf that uses resources more effectively and helps turf managers do their jobs more efficiently.”
Written by Bob Raley, Turf Agronomist, Agrium Advanced Technologies