No winterizer app this year

Kentucky bluegrass, Fescue, Rye and Bent, etc
Green
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Re: No winterizer app this year

Post by Green » November 16th, 2017, 1:42 am

I think the goal is to get the Nitrogen into the soil before it's "frozen" at the surface. At the root zone, chances are it will still be warm enough for root uptake of that N for a while after that. And even if the surface does freeze for a bit, chances are it will thaw again anyway, intermittently as the weather and sunlight patterns fluctuate. That's my own non-scientific conjecture and opinion on the matter...as long as I get certain Spring greenup results, it tells me my fertilizer was effective. I believe in monitoring soil temps at three times of the year...late Fall slowdown, Spring greenup, and peak heat period in the Summer.

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ronfitch
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Re: No winterizer app this year

Post by ronfitch » November 17th, 2017, 11:50 am

Jackpine wrote:
November 15th, 2017, 5:13 am
ronfitch wrote:
November 14th, 2017, 12:05 pm
I may be in a similar situation ...

Mowed on Sunday the 5th, had clippings.

Mowed again on Sunday the 12th (two days ago), still had clippings, though growth has really slowed down.

Ground temps at the four-inch depth are dropping like a rock here (mid-30s) and today is wet. Not raining but misty. And now more leaves have dropped since Sunday and chance of snow on Thursday. So, no chance to mulch mow due to darkness. Even if I could, am still dealing with dropping UREA on wet grass, which I recall reading here is a bad idea (unless doing it during rain).

Odds are it won't happen this year. Then again, it has been a really weird year, so the odds are out the window.
More normal than weird for my location Certainly it was the opposite of last year when temperatures in late November were well above average with lots of sunshine to keep soil temps up.

Balancing top growth with the Urea app can be tricky in the northern zone. I remember once putting down urea when a mow produced 1/4" of clippings after a week or so and it did not force any top growth, verified when mulching leaves. Sometimes you have to go with your instincts.
What is the issue here is - though November in the Twin Cities/Minnesota typically has more grey days than all other months but February - this year it is even moreso.

Heard this a.m. on Minnesota Public Radio that while historically we have 30-33% days with no sun at all in November (ten or fewer across the entire month), we have already had nine days of no sun this November. Add some unseasonably cold single digit nights late last week to that severe lack of sun hitting the ground and soil temps drop in a hurry.

Those soil temps can come back up with a couple of sunny, but wet conditions and/or early snow cover can mess up dropping UREA. If it snows even a bit and there is no days of sun after, the snow is not going away.

The forecast for snow that sticks for yesterday here (that was the forecast as late as Monday) turned out to be off. I will mow/mulch this weekend and check for clippings. If none this time, I will drop and water in. This would be the latest I have dropped UREA (I think I first did in 2012 or 2013, after finding this forum).
lVlrBoJang1es wrote:
November 15th, 2017, 9:33 am
Do you guys actually probe areas for soil temps? Or are you estimating based on soil conditions/available environmental data?

I've been mowing at least 2x/week for leaf mulching and almost always in the dark (only time my schedule permits at the moment). As a result it's a bit difficult for me to tell if i'm still getting top growth. With low visibility, frequent mowings, and loads leaf mulch, detecting clippings has been almost nil.

Conjecturally it's still growing - average air temps in my area (SE Michigan) are still in low 40s to high 30s...Thus, I'm not rushing out to put my last bit of urea down any time soon. In my mind, i'm more worried about throwing down the winterizer app too early. I'd rather not pollute the environment, but i wouldn't lose sleep if i miss the appropriate window however short that may be this year...

I'm wondering if there's a better way to detect POTENTIAL stoppage (soil probing?). Being new to this, i'm worried that my "instincts" are not mature enough. I don't intend to base my lawn care habits entirely on data entirely, but in some cases it has proven to help my novice senses be more AWARE when certain things SHOULD be happening.

Incoming post from the old schoolers: "GET A FLASHLIGHT/MOW IN THE DAYLIGHT ONCE AND USE YOUR DAMN EYES!" :blackeye: :rotfl:
I wait until there are no clippings when I mow. Then I know top growth has ceased and am in the window to drop UREA while the roots are still absorbing goodness.

That is not to say that I don't check the various online sources for their readings. And I have a cheap probe that seems to be somewhat accurate for temps.

But ultimately, I mow until no more clippings.

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