Home > Lawn & Garden > Home Gardening > Lawns > Drought Dormant Lawns [Image: dormant] Without good irrigation and resources to do so, allowing your turf to go dormant during extended summer drought may be the best management practice. Should new sod be fertilized? [Image: lawn] Many wonder if newly laid sod should be quickly fertilized to help speed establishment. Irrigating Louisiana Lawns and Turf [Image: ET and Rainfall] Louisiana has an abundant supply of water; even so, the demand for water sometimes exceeds the amount readily available. This publication will help homeowners and turf managers make better irrigation choices as to when to irrigate and how much. Calibration Of Professional Turf Spreaders [Image: Spreader pattern] If you want to apply granular products correctly, you will need to use the correct spreader pattern setting, swath width, and rate setting. This article will tell you how to achieve this.  more articles... Observe Your Fall Lawn To Take Preventive Action Fall is not a time to do much to your Louisiana lawn – mow, remove fallen leaves and irrigate as needed. Warm-season grasses are slowing down and trying to go dormant. "We must let them do so," says LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dr. Tom Koske. Centipedegrass Turf [Image: lawn] It is called the “lazy man’s grass” because it thrives with less care and requires less mowing than many other grasses. A Guide to Louisiana-friendly Landscaping - Louisiana Yards & Neighborhoods [Image: La Yards and Neighborhoods] Information on how to reduce nonpoint source pollution using research-based horticultural best management practices. (PDF Only) Falling Leaves – Pretty, But Dangerous To Waterways [Image: Fall leaves] Grass clippings are a constant in yard maintenance, but fall introduces leaves into the mix. This year the nuisance is worse because hurricanes and storms have defoliated more trees. Fall Is for Football... and Brown Patch! [Image: Photo of early stages of brown patch on St. Augustinegrass.] Fall is the time to treat for brown patch, the most common disease on warm-season turfgrasses. Winterize Lawn With Potash, Not Nitrogen (Distributed 08/29/07) To winterize Southern, warm-season lawns, apply a fertilizer with more potash than nitrogren. Potash is represented by the third number on a fertilizer bag, while nitrogen is shown as the first. Weed and Feed Damage [Image: yellow] Weeding and feeding are two different operations. Sometimes they can be done in combination, but not always and not for best results. Zoysiagrass [Image: seed] Zoysias can be the most beautiful and slow growing lawns, but they can also be big problems. These lawns are very dense and uniform in appearance. Follow Four Essential Steps When Starting A Lawn Now is the time to begin working on a new lawn, and LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dr. Tom Koske has advice for those undertaking such a project. Louisiana Lawns Best Management Practices (BMPs) [Image: Louisiana Lawns BMPs] Following the best management practices (BMPs) given here should help keep your lawn in good condition. A healthy and properly cared for lawn will resist weeds and other pest problems; thus, a minimum of pesticide products will be needed. Basic lawn care consists of proper fertilizing, watering and mowing and appropriate pest management, as needed. More...