A round 5 application should consist of a slow release fertilizer with additional nutrients to aid in overwintering. Round 5 applications are the most important of the year. This application provides essential nutrients that will help your turfgrass during the winter months. The food that you give your lawn in the fall will help green up your lawn quicker in the spring. Feeding your grass in the fall also helps fight off spring diseases. In a round 5 application, it is vital to find a product that has the best formulation of fertilizer for fall growing conditions.
The best round 5 applications are made with granular fertilizer. Granular fertilizer will not burn as easy as liquid fertilizer products. Granular products should be watered in to become active. Generally, in the Midwest, a round 5 application should be made between late September and late October.
Our round 5 application is granular.
Fall aeration will also aid in making your round 5 application more efficient. If you core aerate your lawn prior applying a round 5 application, you allow the fertilizer to reach the root system of your grass when applied. The pockets created by removing plugs of soil catch fertilizer applied in the fall. If you are doing any fall seeding, our round 5 application will also benefit your lawn. Fall fertilizer will provide nutrients that are important to the growth of new seed. Establishing seed before winter is vital so that the seed will make it through the winter. Fall fertilizer will help encourage new growth and establishment of new seed.
It is not necessary to spot spray broadleaf weeds during a round 5 application unless you are using an ester based product. By this point in time, the window for treating broadleaf weeds has passed, and amine based products will no longer work. Effective broadleaf weed control can resume in the next season. Establishing thick and healthy turf will naturally help keep your lawn weed free. Through a combination of nutrients and weed control provided by a quality program, your lawn can be a success.