Lawn care varies with the seasons

Question: What should I be doing with my lawn this time of year?

You did not tell me what type of lawn it is -- probably a tall fescue. If that is the case, then you can fertilize with a lawn fertilizer high in nitrogen around Thanksgiving. Water it in thoroughly.

I would highly recommend either a slow release fertilizer for your lawn or an organic fertilizer such as composted manure types that are available.

Aerate your lawn. You can do this by purchasing a lawn aerator that you operate with your feet or hose or you can rent a gasoline driven aerator. Your lawn will benefit from aeration this time of year. If this is a fescue lawn, mow it no closer than 1½ inches tall. Two to 3 inches tall is even better during cooler weather.

Bob Morris is a professor emeritus in horticulture with the University of Nevada and can be reached at extremehort@aol.com. Visit his blog at
xtremehorticulture.blogspot.com.