Drought conditions this summer have left turf, trees and other landscape plants in drought-stressed conditions for winter. This can put them at risk of winter injury.
While the window of opportunity to help struggling landscape plants is nearing an end, there is still time to take advantage of the limited growing season we have left. With all plants, the primary consideration should be providing proper soil moisture until the soil freezes.
Evergreen trees will benefit the most because they will continue to lose moisture through the winter. Going into winter well-hydrated is very important for evergreens to prevent winter desiccation. Deciduous trees also will benefit because they are still producing roots and also will require good moisture when they leaf out in the spring.
Turfgrass will continue to grow roots and lateral shoots for several weeks. Having adequate moisture now will aid in this growth and also hydrate the tiny stem, or crown, that the grass plant relies on for winter survival and spring growth.
Many lawns have thinned out from a summer of stress, which will leave open space for weeds next summer. Besides providing water to help the remaining turf survive, new grass seed can be put down in these areas. This is called a dormant seeding because the seed will be dormant over winter and be ready to germinate to fill in the empty space next spring. Winter moisture and warming spring soils will give the grass seed an advantage over later germinating weed seeds.
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Finally, as we go into the last days of fall, avoid application of nitrogen fertilizer to turf because it increases susceptibility to winter disease.
Also avoid late-season lawn aeration and dethatching, which can increase drying of the soil and which damages turf at a time when it lacks the reserve energy to recover before winter.
