1. Mow at the correct Turf Height: It is critical to keep your Fescue turf at a higher height than other turf types. Cutting it too short opens it up to disease and stress. Cutting it at a higher height encourages a deep root structure, and can help your turf withstand stress, disease, and the hot NC summers as best as possible. Here’s a quick guide:

In the regular growing season – mow at 4-4.5 inches

Before Aeration/Overseeding – gradually lower to 2.5 – 3 inches over the 3 weeks before Aeration/Overseeding

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2. Mowing at the Correct Frequency: While it’s a common practice for some to mow every other week, it’s best to mow on a weekly basis! If you wait 14 days to mow, your turf has grown to a height that requires you to cut off a good amount from the grass blade in order to get it to the correct height. Cutting this much off at once will shock the turf, stress it, and make it more susceptible to disease. As a general rule, never cut off more than one third of the total turf height.

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3. Apply Pre-Emergent: Pre emergent applications in our area should take place in both the February and March time frame. We put down split applications to better control the weeds throughout the majority of the Spring and Summer months.

Pre emergent is important because it inhibits the germination of weeds, thereby not allowing them to penetrate the top layer of soil.

Pre emergent really helps you set the stage for having as few weeds as possible!

Weeds may appear following pre-emergent weed control simply because they exist in nature. For example, birds and other animals (or simply the wind) can spread weed seeds from area to area. When this happens, we would spot spray weeds to keep them under control.

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4. Water Appropriately: As a general rule, your lawn should receive 1 inch of water per week, unless it is in dormancy. The best time to water your lawn is very early in the morning, around 5 or 5:30am. Watering in the afternoon or evening is not advised, as it leaves your turf open to fungus and disease.

Watering your Fescue lawn is crucial during the hottest months of the year! It helps the turf combat the heat as much as possible.

After Aeration/Overseeding, make sure to keep seed moist for the first couple of weeks (to aid in the germination process).

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5. Invest in Core Aeration: This process is beneficial for both warm and cool season lawns. With Cool season lawns like Fescue, it is paired with Overseeding.

This process should take place in the September/October time frame, and it helps relieve soil compaction by removing plugs of soil and allows more water and oxygen to the root zone.

There are many types of Aeration; Canopy uses Core Aeration as we find that to be the most beneficial type. Multiple passes is always a good idea. Overall, this helps to improve fertilizer utilization, promotes new growth, and helps roots become stronger. Additionally, it limits water runoff and areas of saturation.

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6. Don’t Forget about Overseeding: Overseeding is the saving grace for your Fescue lawn each year! Because Fescue is not equipped to survive hot and humid weather (it thrives in 50-70 degree temps), it will often times struggle and die out in some areas. Core Aeration and Over-seeding is the single most important thing you can do to your lawn to increase the overall health and beauty of your turfgrass.

Fescue does not spread like Bermuda, so it relies on being reseeded in order to re-grow and become dense and lush. This is an extremely beneficial service for both the soil and the re-establishment of the turf for the coming year. Cool Season turfs are thousands of individual plants that, over time, die off for various reasons (heat, stress, damage, etc.).

Soil temperatures should be between between 60-75 degrees for optimum germination (but not below 50 degrees)

Seed Matters! There are many types of Tall Fescue seeds available on the market each year. Canopy prefers to purchase varieties that are proven to be top performers, that will grow into a dark green color, will be drought tolerant, and will withstand high traffic areas. Learn more about this here.

Each fall, Canopy chooses a high-quality tall Fescue seed blend based on the data that is provided that year for turf grass cultivation. We want to provide our customers with a clean, weed-free seed blend that has been designed to perform well on a residential lawn. The practice of overseeding with quality seed each year, combined with proper ongoing lawn maintenance will set your lawn up for success. You will be well on your way to a lush green lawn year after year.

How to Apply: We recommend spreading 5-6 lbs of seed per every 1,000 square feet.

Helps Combat Weeds: Having thick, lush turf will naturally help crowd out weeds. Core Aeration in this process is also important! It helps relieve soil compaction by removing plugs of soil. This process helps allow more water and oxygen to the root zone, and multiple passes is always a good idea (more info is above).

Proper after-care is extremely important to ensure the success of seed germination and establishment in your cool season lawn. For 2-4 weeks after seeding, make sure to minimize foot traffic on newly seeded turf and water daily to keep the new seed moist.

Week 1-2: During the first two weeks following your aeration and seeding service, the main goal is to keep the ground/seed moist while the seed begins to germinate. We recommend that you water each day for at least 20 minutes in all areas of the lawn (water the soil to a depth of about 1/4”). Be sure not to over-water to the point that the seed washes away before germination.

Week 3-4: At this point, the grass seed has begun to germinate and grow. During the third and fourth weeks following seeding, you should continue watering the lawn in order to keep the soil moist, but not soggy. Decrease watering to 3-4 times per week to maintain moisture for the new seed. The lawn will need to be cut once it reaches about 4” height and the mower should be set at the highest possible level. Do not mow the grass too short! The new grass needs sufficient time to mature and to begin establishing a root system and will scalp easily. Prior to mowing, you should discontinue watering for 1 day before mowing to let the lawn dry out.

Week 4 and beyond: A month after your new seed has had time to establish, it is safe to begin to cut the lawn as needed. It is still important to use gentle care during this time so that you do not damage your newly seeded turf. You should also continue watering the lawn approximately twice a week, making sure to apply 1” of water each week.

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7. Use Fungicide when needed: With each summer getting hotter and more humid, fungicide is becoming more and more important in helping combat disease.

Fungicides can be difficult to use and apply safely. Please use caution when applying this on your own property! When you purchase it in your local store, it may come as dry powder (that needs to be mixed with water). Or it could come in granular form, in which case it would need to be applied by a fertilizer spreader.

You need to be sure you have the right application equipment and personal protective equipment (PPE) before using the product.

There are two types of fungicides you can use: Contact Fungicides and Systemic Fungicides.

Contact Fungicides remain on the outside of the blade/plant only, and forms a protective barrier so that disease cannot enter in through the leaf blade. Usually effective for up to eight days. Please DO NOT water in this type of fungicide, it will break the protective barrier and will no longer be effective (applies to natural rain and irrigation). Make sure to remain off turf for best results (so as not to break the barrier). This type usually needs to be applied before the disease begins. Please keep in mind this is only effective for areas that it has touched/come into contact with (does not protect roots or any new blades that were not originally treated). One benefit of contact fungicide over systemic: less chance of turf becoming resistant to treatment over time.

Systemic Fungicides will work from the inside out. The treatment penetrates the turf from the roots and blades and can protect the turf up to 28 days. They can be applied proactively to prevent against disease in the future (protective). They can also be applied after the disease has begun (curative). Systemic treatments can protect the roots, the blades, and any new blades that have formed since the treatment was applied. Canopy uses these to help protect your turf for as long as possible, as well as for its general effectiveness for use on turf that already has fungus present.

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8. Apply Lime: Lime is ground limestone that is rich in calcium and magnesium. Lime has many benefits for your Fescue lawn!

Lime is usually sold in either powder or pellets. Pellets tend to be more popular, as they’re easier to handle and distribute. The pellets are easy to spread; they dissolve and breakdown into the soil when watered in.

Great for managing the pH level, lime helps to balance the acidity and alkalinity. It also provides the calcium and magnesium that your turf needs to withstand stressful periods (drought, extreme temps, etc.).

Pine trees are a staple in North Caroline, and lime offsets the effects of Pine trees. Pine needles are very acidic, and Lime counterbalances this in the soil. Additionally, it turbocharges the effectiveness of fertilizer and herbicide, and promotes strong roots for your turf

For Fescue lawns in central NC, we recommend a lime application around June, to help the turf withstand the upcoming stressful summer heat and drought conditions.

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9. Apply Top Dressing to Enrich Soil: We all know that the soil in central North Carolina is mostly clay.This can often make it difficult for turf and plants to survive, let alone thrive! Having good topsoil is a very important part of having a healthy lawn. Just like humans need a healthy diet to stay in shape, plants and turf need nutrient dense soil to thrive.

Top Dressing refers to spreading about a quarter to a half inch of compost/top soil/loam over the top of your turf areas.

For many homes that are newly built, construction/building crews often level off all the “good” soil. This leaves a hard, rocky foundation that sod is then laid on. This looks great in the beginning, but the turf needs a better foundation in order to survive long term.

This can be applied after Aeration, but before seeding. Don’t worry if the top dressing gets into the holes left by the Aerator–it can actually help to change the composition (in a good way!).

There are many different types of Top Dressing, and they often contain compost, top soil, sand, and other organic materials.

We think Mirimichi gives great results! It’s 100% organic, and helps improve soil, build strong roots, and increase nutrient uptake and efficiency.  And that’s just a few of the benefits!  Check it out here.

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10. Make sure to Fertilize: Your turf gets hungry! Having a good fertilization routine at the correct times of the year is an important part of having healthy, dense turf.

There are many different kinds of lawn fertilizer, but the most common varieties of fertilizer contain some level of the micronutrients nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). These are the contents listed on the front of fertilizer bags (ex. 18-0-6 refers to the amounts of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium, respectively)

It’s very important to apply fertilizer at the correct rate and evenly throughout your lawn, and applying too much could cause fertilizer burn. Canopy Lawn Care Pros spread granular fertilizer blends using a fertilizer spreader.

Fertilizer is applied three times during the spring, and then twice in the fall.

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DON’T HAVE THE TIME, THE EQUIPMENT, OR THE RESOURCES FOR EVERYTHING ABOVE? CANOPY IS ALWAYS HERE TO HELP! OUR FULL SERVICE PLANS AND KNOWLEDGEABLE EMPLOYEES HAVE YOU AND YOUR PROPERTY COVERED FOR ANYTHING YOU NEED! GET YOUR PERSONALIZED QUOTE HERE!

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