By David Davis

I know it is August, and you probably don’t typically think about lawn or garden care classes in the fall. It is never too late in the season to add more knowledge that will assist with your lawn and gardening efforts. I hope you will join us at 5:30 p.m. Thursday for our fall lawn care class at the Clark County Public Library.

We are also getting ready to kick off our 2017 Master Gardener training.

There is much work that should be done to prepare the lawn for the winter.

Fall is actually the recommended time of the year to fertilize the lawn. Fertilizing the lawn in the fall best meets cool season lawn grass growing requirements and helps promote lawn winter survivability. Fertilizing in the spring only creates more work for cool season grass lawn through increased mowing and an increased need for weed control management practices. At our upcoming workshop “Fall Lawn Care and Management,” we will discuss fall lawn fertilization, and other topics related to preparing your lawn for winter.

The Kentucky Master Gardener program is a great way to give back to the community for those who have an interest in horticulture. Throughout the fall and winter, we are offering 12 horticulture classes to train new Clark County Master Gardeners. Each class is approximately two to three hours long, and will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Clark County Extension Office. Classes this year will be conducted mostly on Tuesday evenings with a couple of deviations. Our first class is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 5.

Before becoming Kentucky Master Gardeners, each participant must complete a total of 50 hours of volunteer service. Because of the nature of many of the volunteer opportunities, we do also complete a background check for each Master Gardener volunteer. A registration fee of $100 will cover the cost of course materials and the background check. Homemaker or 4-H leaders whose background check is up to date will be exempt from the background check. I hope you will consider becoming a Clark County Master Gardener to make a difference in the lives of others in our community.

If you would like additional information about, or would like to register for any of these upcoming programs, call 744-4682 or email david.davis@uky.edu.

David Davis is the Clark County Cooperative Extension Service agent for agriculture and natural Resources.