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Fertilizing your athletic field in the late fall can be one of the most beneficial applications of nutrients of the whole year. It improves winter and early spring color, helps root-mass increase and most importantly helps the plant manufacture carbohydrates that it can store. A late fall application of fertilizer should be applied after the plant’s shoots have stopped growing and mowing is no longer needed, but while the turfgrass is still green. Depending on your location in New England and the autumn weather this can be anytime between mid-October and late November. At this time of year the air is cool but the plant can still photosynthesize and the soil is still at a temperature where the roots can grow. An application of nitrogen at this time will support the production of carbohydrates. These carbohydrates can be stored because the plant is not using them to grow above ground and can be used instead for tolerating winter stresses and utilized later for regrowth. The rate at which the nitrogen should be applied is dependent on the site and the amount of wear the turf has sustained, anywhere from .5 pounds of nitrogen per thousand square feet to 1.5 pounds. For instance a baseball field might need .75 pounds of nitrogen, but a worn soccer or football field could use up to 1.5 pounds of nitrogen to help recovery. 75% or more of the nitrogen should be in a fast release form such as urea or ammonium so that the plant can take it up quickly, with the remaining 25% in a slow release form. Some of the slow release fertilizer that is dependent on microbial decomposition will be available the following spring. There are some potential problems with late fall nitrogen fertilization. It may increase snow mold probability and there is the potential of nitrates leaching. Improper fertilization timing can lead to unwanted top growth that would leave the plant more susceptible to cold temperature stresses. Even with these issues, late fall fertilization is an important tool that can produce the benefits of both a greener and healthier turf. References ======================================================================== |
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