As the weather cools, some tips to strengthen your lawn

Newly seeded lawns may still need watering

Mary in Gainesville writes: “I over-seeded my lawn this September and the grass has come in nicely. I normally water once per week for 60 minutes. Now that it’s getting cooler, when do I stop watering completely?”

Great question, Mary. As the days get shorter and the nights get cooler, plants use much less water, especially plants that are going dormant, like deciduous trees. But cool season grass (your perfect seed timing reveals the turf to be bluegrass and/or fescue) loves this kind of weather, and will be growing actively through the holidays.

So chart your rainfall, and if a week goes by without half an inch of rain, you should water to help that brand new grass get well-established before winter. In this cool weather, an hour once a week should be fine. Just be sure to apply it in the morning, never in the evening.

Stop watering when the ground freezes hard for the first time. And be sure to drain the system whenever the temps drop below freezing to prevent damage to your hoses and pipes.

Miserable mushrooms? Mitigate the mulch

Larry in D.C. writes: “Please let me know what you have to say about the safe removal of mushrooms in my yard. I keep raking them up to keep the dog from eating them. I tried dishwashing liquid and water as per the internet, but they keep coming back.”

Sorry Larry, but the ubiquitous

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