Late Season Lawn Applications

Does my lawn still need fertilizer and weed control?

The simple answer? Absolutely yes, it does. Fall and  winter are great times of year to do great things for your lawn. All you need to do is sit back and let us do the hard work, trust our process and enjoy your beautiful lawn next spring.

The quick version: 

  • Research suggests spraying for weeds and fertilizing heavily in the fall 
  • We will move leaves if they are in the way and we will call you if they prevent us from doing the application
  • The lawn winterizer can actually be applied in December, January or even early February on top of up to an inch of snow and still do an amazing job of giving your lawn a great early green up

Looking for an in depth explanation? Read on! 

Caring for your Kansas City area lawn is a confusing chore sometimes. The bottom line is everyone wants that great lawn starting next spring and we want it to stay that way through the summer. Most of the work to get the lawn looking great and stay looking great takes place in the fall of the previous year.
 
The scientific research we subscribe to (Kansas State University lawn fertilization recommendations) recommends applying some material to your lawn, three times after September first. One heavy fertilizer application as soon as the weather begins to cool down. One broadleaf weed control application when the weather really starts to cool off. Finally, one heavy fertilizer application after the tops of the grass stop growing and while the roots are still growing and the crowns of the plant are still storing up reserves for the winter.
 

Application #6

We take great care to make sure the timing of our applications is great for your lawn. We are currently finishing up the 6th lawn application. For that application, most of the lawns we treat will be sprayed with a combination of a micro-nutrient fertilizer material and broadleaf weed herbicide. The liquid fertilizer is taken up by the leaves of the plant then moved quickly downward to the crowns and the roots to enhance the plants uptake of other nutrients in the soil. The micro-nutrients help the plant work more effectively when trying to store food for the winter.
 
Broadleaf herbicide, the second component of our 6th service takes care of the broadleaf weeds like dandelions, chickweed and henbit that actually germinate and begin their life cycle in the late fall. The best part of waiting until it gets cold to treat broadleaf weeds is that the weeds are doing the same thing the grass is doing. Weeds are hungry and working hard to store anything they can in order to make it through the winter. Herbicide gets trans-located quickly and more completely than if we were to apply it when the weather is warm. Waiting until it is cold also allows us to get more plants that don’t even come up until the weather drops below 35 degrees a time or two.
 
As for leaves, don’t worry, we make sure to blow leaves off of an area before treating it. After we treat an area, we may blow leaves back on to that area to treat another area. Don’t worry, loose leaves on the lawn are easier to pick up and move around enough so that as long as they are picked up within a week or two, they won’t damage the lawn. Let us know if you need a hand with that work!
 

Application #7 Lawn Winterizer

The final service for our lawn fertilization and weed control customers is the lawn winterizer. We apply a heavy application of a 2 part, heavy nitrogen fertilizer, after the top of the lawn has stopped growing. The goal here is to get the food to the surface roots, allow them to take up the fertilizer and feed the roots efforts in getting deep where they can still access liquid water over the winter. The plant is still growing, you just can’t see it. The crown of the plant is still storing energy in the form of carbohydrates that will serve as reserves for the plant if it gets dry or freezes solid. This heavy feeding helps this process and helps your lawn survive a couple months of less than ideal growing conditions.
 
Leaves on the lawn for the final application of the season really don’t matter at all. As soon as the leaf is disrupted, whether with a rake or a mower, any fertilizer prills on top of the leaves will immediately fall to the top of the soil and be ready to be broken down by air and water and be ready to be taken up by the leaves of the grass plants. If you pick up your leaves and see a few prills in the bag, just remember, we put down millions of those small prills in your yard. There is no reason to worry about your lawn having too many leaves for the final lawn winterizer. If there is a layer of leaves that will prevent us from making a good lawn application, we simply will pass your lawn up that day, give you a phone call and hopefully schedule a leaf cleanup service for you! After the leaves are taken care of we will be back to fertilize the lawn.
 
Fall and  winter are great times of year to do great things for your lawn. All you need to do is sit back and let us do the hard work, trust our process and enjoy your beautiful lawn next spring. As a reminder, our services are all backed by our ‘Do The Right Thing,’ 100% satisfaction guarantee. If for any reason, you don’t feel like you got more than what you paid for, give us a call and we promise to work with you until you are happy with the work we have done. Don’t hesitate to give us a call here at the office (913) 782-8315 to ask about your particular situation when it comes to how many lawn applications you have left and the timing thereof. We look forward to seeing your lawn later this fall.

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