Q: Last week on the Garden Clinic, I heard your guest “The Sago Doctor” mention something about national advertising for fall fertilizers for the lawn. I had a car full of kids and I couldn’t hear exactly what you were talking about.  Could you please cover this again? My husband, my friends and I really enjoy your articles and the radio show.

A: I’m glad you enjoy the radio show and articles!  It is also nice that the “Sago Doctor” is on call when the “Super Garden Hero” is out solving the world’s problems.

Right now there are a lot of national advertisements directed towards fall fertilization.

These national ads are directed towards cool season grasses, like fescue. Most of these products have a fairly high first number - Nitrogen (18-24), a fairly high middle number - Phosphorous (18-24), and the last number – Potassium, between (8-14). In the Lowcountry where we have warm season grasses, our needs are totally different.  

Our warm season grasses are getting ready to go dormant for the winter. Cool season grow best right now and in the early spring while our warm season grasses are dormant.

The fall fertilizer for this area would have very little nitrogen, if any, and a high micro-nutrient package, especially iron.  Rarely on a soil test do I see a recommendation for Phosphorous at all because of the high levels of Phosphorous that are naturally occurring in our soils (i.e. Ashley Phosphate Road). Potassium is also good to add at this time of year in the Lowcountry.  

There are several products on the market that are good fall fertilizers for our warm season grasses. At Possum’s, our three most popular fall fertilizers are; 00-00-25 with 10 percent Iron, Possum’s Minors and Possum’s Perk.  

Depending on your soil tests or what you have applied this season, one of these products will meet your needs.  The 00-00-25 and the Possum’s Perk both have 10 percent iron and the Possum’s Minors has 15 percent iron.

These products are organically enhanced and have other proprietary ingredients that will benefit your lawn at this time.  Hydra Hume and Cotton Burr Compost are other organic products that can be used alone or in combination with one of the above products.

Iron is important for your lawn in the fall.  It is the center of the chlorophyll molecule.  The chlorophyll is what makes grass green.  By adding iron at this time, you get a lot of green in the leaf blade.

The green in the leaf blade is what catches the sun’s rays and performs photosynthesis. The photosynthesis is what produces sugars (carbohydrates). These carbohydrates are stored as roots and other woody structures.  A high amount of sugar in the plant will help the plant avoid winter kill. It will also keep it green in the fall longer and it will green up earlier in the spring.  

If you think of the old TV’s that had dots on the screen that made up the picture, the iron will make more chlorophyll (i.e. dots on your TV screen). Just as the more dots give you a better picture, the chlorophyll will give you a better looking lawn and collect more sunlight for the grass plant.

Bill Lamson-Scribner can be reached during the week at Possum’s Landscape and Pest Control Supply, 481 Long Point Rd in Mt. Pleasant (971-9601), 3325 Business Circle in North Charleston (760-2600), or 606 Dupont Rd, in Charleston (766-1511).  Fax your questions to 406-2700 or e-mail them to your newspaper’s editors.  You can also call in your questions to the Garden Clinic, Saturdays 11:00-Noon, on News Radio 94.3 FM (721-TALK).  

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