Fall Nitrogen Regimens

[oze]

oze, is this after you cut the lawn? I'm getting something similar but I'm only seeing it when I cut the lawn. Once the grass grows back out a little it's nice and green again. I think this is a combination of brown blades down low (BBDL) and perennial rye that when dormant/died. It could be only an issue for Northern Mix Lawns (NoMix), hard to say.

Yes, looks much worse after the last mowing. The weather has been gorgeous here the last couple of weeks (highs in the 70s, lows in the 50s), so I am hoping the rye isn't going dormant already. I was referring to what I hope is the shedding behavior that the OP (Andy) discusses in the first post here.

I have had two soil tests done by the local county extension, but will get an "official" one next year and post the results with a new thread. I didn't mean to hijack this thread, just curious about a lawn behavior with which I was not familiar before coming here. Thanks to all for your input.

[micvog]

FWIW oze I am having the exact same issue with my NoMix lawn in Wisconsin. I will have to talk my wife into a KBG monostand reno for next fall.

[BoatDrinksQ5]

I am sure it happens to most lawns it is just like when tree's sometimes start turning colors and even dropping leaves early in the fall even though obviously the weather hasn't been near cold enough to take the leaves off. Or when ducks start flying south even though the weather is unseasonably warm.... Just starts to slow down, loose the weak, or too thick of growth (no light) etc.

Nature knows! Or really... takes its cue's more from the sun and calendar.

[andy10917]

Please keep this thread on-topic -- it is intended for long-term reference and off-topic discussions diminish its value for that...

[plain_nocheese]

does 2lb/k mean per thousand feet? For example, 12,000 sqft, use 24 lbs urea? I'm sure this is is specifically explained somewhere. Sorry for the repetition

[JustAGuy]

does 2lb/k mean per thousand feet? For example, 12,000 sqft, use 24 lbs urea? I'm sure this is is specifically explained somewhere. Sorry for the repetition

Yes

[ Post made via Android ]

[Adam T]

Oops... last Saturday morning I put down more Urea for the second time, but I made a mistake. There is a "latch" on my broadcast spreader so lock the drop slot open. When I was determining the setting to use during the first application the plastic latch kept the lever from being depressed all the way. I ended up using a setting of 10 for the first application.

Before the second application I messed with the latch, fixing it (when I hadn't realized it had been in the way in the first place). Now on my second application I was dropping with a 10 setting when it should have been closer to 2 or 3. I applied about 5lbs of Urea on 2,000 sq. feet of lawn before I corrected the problem. Oops.

I used a rake to spread the Urea in one spot that was pretty much a thin PILE of fertilizer. Where I raked is where I noticed some brown grass while mowing yesterday. The rest of the strip that was over fertilized doesn't look to worse for the wear.

[mattya]

Did you water it in very well at least?

[Parsec]

Does anybody know of a good source for urea in Central Mass? I picked up a 50lb bag at John Deere/Lesco for $45 last week. The price seemed high based on other posts here. I called around to a couple of Agway's in the area. One has only 4lb bags for $12. Another told me they stopped selling it a few years back when they were required to collect the names and addresses of anyone buying it.

There's a CPS (Crop Production Services) near you. I haven't been there, but I've heard people on the forums refer to it as the go-to place for urea. See this thread:
http://aroundtheyard.com/post186407.html

[Adam T]

Did you water it in very well at least?

I didn't, I was on the run for the rest of the day right after. It was in between rain showers when I put it down, maybe that helped a little? I considered if it would have been smart to water it in really well, but that was later in the day. Next time I make a mistake like this I'll be sure to dilute the problem immediately.

[mattya]

Did you water it in very well at least?

I didn't, I was on the run for the rest of the day right after. It was in between rain showers when I put it down, maybe that helped a little? I considered if it would have been smart to water it in really well, but that was later in the day. Next time I make a mistake like this I'll be sure to dilute the problem immediately.

It's still only a little more than 1 lb of N/k - The problem is if there were any overlaps, you could be looking at 2.5 lbs of N/k which is pretty high.

[weigojmi]

Expanding a bit on a comment Andy made about those of us in the south who have lawns where top-growth often never stops completely. Should urea even be used or just keep hitting it with Milo until it warms up to let the spring flush take over?

[mattya]

Personal preference IMO. Urea still provides the benefit of improved spreading when it comes to KBG. Not sure about TTTF.

[birch]

I am Using a soil remediation plan as per this site. My area is in the early fall state with active growth. How would I go about a " full complement of nitrogen"? Should I be doing the standard slow release of urea followed by a winterizer in late fall? My last efforts were about 2 weeks ago dropping milo and required micros.
Cheers!

[andy10917]

Look at the amount of Nitrogen (and the fast/slow ratio) and make sure that you aren't applying too much Nitrogen at once, or over a short period. There is no easy formula for that - be reasonable.

[Jason1604]

Thanks for this info Andy! Since I still have about 10 bags of Milo in the garage, I am using it until the Pause. Would bag rate every Saturday be considered "aggressive" or could I up it to double bag rate? My over seed was hugely successful and have ordered Urea for my last app here in a few months, but my addiction to Milo is, well, an addiction.

[andy10917]

You don't have to explain Vitamin M addiction to me - I'm an addict.

Double-rate is OK, but take a quick walk-around each week and look for granules still on the surface. If they're there, back off to single-rate or skip.

[Jason1604]

You don't have to explain Vitamin M addiction to me - I'm an addict.

Double-rate is OK, but take a quick walk-around each week and look for granules still on the surface. If they're there, back off to single-rate or skip.

Will Do. Thanks for the info.

[BoatDrinksQ5]

Bump. Reminder for folks (read first post at the very least)

This thread was falling down the list... still think it would be good stored in the articles or FAQ section (along with many of Andy's great informational posts)

Like the Sample depth post (add to FAQ or soil sample article)

[andy10917]

It will be an Article someday - I often put things out as a thread and build the answers to questions that arise from the thread in, and then convert to an Article.