NJ Lawns Community

Been reading this forum for a while but finally made an account. Quick background: I've got about 1.5 acres in Woodcliff Lake, mostly Perennial Ryegrass with some KBG mixed in. Got an Exmark Laser E-Series two seasons ago and never quite trusted the deck height settings until last month. Finally got it dialed in at 2.25" for late season and now I'm seeing some irregular brown patches showing up - not everywhere, but in random spots where my mower turns. It's been about 3 weeks since I lowered it from 3". Didn't fertilize since early September. Did I scalp my ryegrass going into dormancy? Pretty worried here because I put a lot of money into this turf.

Welcome to the forum Frank. Quick answer - yes, you probably cut too short, especially for perennial ryegrass going into fall. Here's the thing most people miss: ryegrass needs at least 2.5" going into winter, preferably closer to 3" depending on your site. When you dropped from 3" to 2.25" in late October/early November you stressed the crowns right when they needed energy stored for winter. Those turning patterns you mentioned are classic 'scalp marks' - the mower deck hits the elevated spots when you make turns and tears the crown. Even with an Exmark that's properly leveled, dropping height mid-fall is risky with rye. What I tell my customers in Ridgewood and Glen Rock: lock it at 3" after mid-September and leave it alone. You can bump back to 2.5" in early spring once soil temps hit 50.

Oof, I just set my Honda to 2.5" last weekend and was feeling good about getting my yard prepped for winter. Should I bump it back up? I also have rygrass/fescue mix in Oradell. Don't want to mess up like this guy. What height are you supposed to keep at for winter around here?

Not to pile on Frank but GrassGuru is spot on. One thing I'd add from the irrigation side - those patchy spots are also going to be more vulnerable to winter desiccation. If you're running a sprinkler system (which I'm assuming you are with 1.5 acres), make sure you're doing a deep soak watering once a month through December if we don't get consistent snow cover. A lot of people around here skip winter watering and then wonder why their ryegrass comes up thin in April. Also check your wetness sensors aren't causing overwatering in those same areas - compaction in turn paths causes water to puddle and that's double trouble for stressed grass.

Thanks for the reality check everyone. I probably should have stuck with 3" - I got eager when I saw the neighbor's lawn looking flat and wanted to match it. Now learning that matching your neighbors isn't always smart lol. Would it help to throw down some winterizer fertilizer now or would that make things worse? I usually hit it with Scott's Winterguard around Black Friday but don't know if that's the right call on damaged turf.

Hold off on the heavy nitrogen for sure. Honestly I'd skip the winterizer completely at this point - you'd be pushing growth on stressed grass which uses energy it doesn't have right now. If you really want to do something, grab a soil test from Rutgers Coop Extension (they do them cheap for Bergen County residents) so you know what you're actually working with. My guess is your pH is fine but you might be low on potassium which is what really matters for winter hardiness. For now just focus on consistent moisture through November and maybe a light application of humate/kelp to help root recovery. And Frank - that neighbor you were trying to match? Probably has a completely different grass type or is on a different irrigation schedule. Don't compare your rye to a fescue lawn.