Many homeowners throughout the United States—Georgia included—make the wise decision to embrace fescue lawns. The roots of fescue grass can reach impressive depths of up to three feet, firmly anchoring it into the soil and making it ideal for home lawns. Although fescue grass does not thrive in every climate, it thrives in many areas throughout the United States, making it one of the most common types of grass in the country.
The Fescue Phenomenon
Fescue lawns demonstrate resilience to insects and add a lush, visually appealing greenery to your lawn. This cool-season grass is also ideal because it’s a shade-tolerant turf option that doesn’t require much water and fertilization during the cooler months. Fescue lawn maintenance becomes a little less straightforward, however, during the warm months when heat, humidity, and disease (not to mention potential drought conditions) all conspire to test the resilience of this grass and its green-colored, fine leaf blades.
This cyclical nature of fescue care underscores the importance of a fescue lawn care calendar for Georgia residents. Even though fescue lawn care in the cooler months is rather basic—water, weed, mow, and fertilize—it’s important to remember that fescue lawn care requires your attention year-round, especially in the fall. Autumn marks a crucial phase in the continuous cycle of maintaining a vibrant fescue lawn in Georgia. A fescue lawn care calendar ensures that you are well-prepared to address the unique challenges posed by this beautiful yet demanding grass.
At Arbor-Nomics, we’re often asked, “What’s the best time to aerate fescue lawn in Georgia?” In this blog post, we’ll provide valuable insights into the art of proper fescue lawn care in Georgia.
Best Time to Aerate Fescue Lawn in Georgia
Aeration helps promote the growth of healthy grass and makes the grass less vulnerable to damage from disease and compaction. Aeration also works well to prevent weed growth.
The process of core aeration involves making small holes in your lawn to allow air, water, and nutrients to better penetrate the soil. When done properly, aeration will make your lawn look lusher and healthier; improper aeration, however, can cause damage. If you don’t know how to aerate your lawn, have someone teach you or, better yet, hire Arbor-Nomics when fall arrives because that’s the best time to aerate fescue lawn in Georgia.
Specialized equipment—from large, power-driven machines to small, hand-held models—can be used for aeration, and their purpose is to delicately extract small plugs of soil from the ground. The aim is to provide the soil with a revitalizing breath of fresh air, satisfy its thirst, and simultaneously foster the growth and fortification of the fescue grass roots.
Unlike warm-season grasses such as Bermuda or Zoysia, fescue grass does not spread
with stolons and rhizomes. Instead, fescue grass primarily grows through what we call tillering; new shoots develop from the base of existing grass plants, and this form of growth is one of the primary distinctions between cool-season and warm-season grasses. That’s why once you finish core aerating the lawn, you should overseed it, especially if you encounter thinning fescue grass or areas with sparse fescue grass coverage. Overseeding (planting grass seed over an existing lawn) after aeration can increase seed germination. The biggest benefits of overseeding? It rejuvenates your lawn and keeps it nice and thick, helping you maintain a healthy fescue lawn after core aeration is complete.
Mowing and Fertilization for Fall Fescue Lawn Care
In addition to core aeration and overseeding, we recommend maintaining the mowing height as high as possible during the fall months. The ideal height for fescue grass is 3.5 to 4 inches. After you’ve overseeded your fescue grass lawn, you will do your lawn a huge favor by keeping it higher in the fall; the height will not only promote the growth of young grass but also aid in preventing common winter weeds.
In terms of fertilization, our team at Arbor-Nomics recommends specific fall and early winter lawn treatments for fescue lawn care. Using a starter fertilizer can significantly boost seed germination and aid fescue grass in its recovery from Georgia’s hot summer heat. Additionally, incorporating slow-release, high-nitrogen fertilization is a strategic approach that can sustain the growth of fescue grass as temperatures begin to drop as part of the transition into the cooler seasons. These mowing and fertilization practices nicely complement both overseeding and aeration. Both mowing and fertilization are essential cogs in the wheel of the fescue lawn care calendar for Georgia homes.
Fescue Lawn Care With Help from Arbor-Nomics
A fescue lawn care calendar for Georgia citizens is highly recommended so that you don’t forget to aerate and seed this clump-style grass. Come October, make a plan to overseed and core aerate your lawn, or give us a call so we can do it for you.
The best time to aerate fescue lawn in Georgia starts at the end of September up to a couple of weeks before the first frost. This is when the cool-season grass is actively growing and the weather conditions are conducive to this essential lawn care practice. Aeration during fall sets the stage for a lush and resilient lawn come spring.
Now that we’ve answered the question, “When is the best time to aerate fescue lawn in Georgia?” we hope you’ll give our team at Arbor-Nomics a call so we can use our expertise to ensure that your fescue grass lawn looks fantastic and enhances the beauty of your home.
We invite you to browse our affordable Plans and call us at 770-447-6037 or contact us via our convenient online contact form to request a free estimate.