The fall feeding, Poa annua, and the ticks nobody expects: four weeks that set up next spring

By John Pelliccio, owner · October 6, 2026 · 7 min read

The site is a week old and I've already had the same three questions from customers in New City, Pearl River and Hillsdale: do I really need the fall fertilizer, what was that pale weedy grass that took over in May and died in June, and are ticks still a thing in October. Yes, it was Poa annua, and very much yes. Here's the long version.

1. The fall feeding is the one that matters most, and it's the one people skip

By late October the grass has mostly stopped growing on top. Underneath, it hasn't stopped at all. Roots keep working until the soil freezes, usually late November or early December around here, and whatever nitrogen and potassium the plant takes in now gets stored rather than spent on leaves. That stored energy is what greens up in March before anybody has put down a thing, and it's what carries the lawn through next July without browning out.

Skip it and you don't notice until spring: slower green-up, thinner turf, more room for crabgrass to move into. It is in every one of our three programs because it does more per dollar than any other round of the year. If you're doing your own, the window is roughly Halloween to Thanksgiving, after your last or second-to-last mow, with a product that leans on potassium and slow-release nitrogen. Not the spring bag you had left over.

2. Poa annua: the weed you have to beat in October to not see it in May

If your lawn had lighter-green, seedy patches in April and May that looked almost lime-colored against the rest of the grass, then went yellow and died in the first hot week of June leaving bare spots, that was annual bluegrass, Poa annua. Almost every lawn in Rockland and Bergen has some. Damp, shaded, compacted spots along driveways and under trees have a lot.

Here's the part most people get wrong: Poa is a winter annual. It germinates now, in September and October, as soil temperatures drop into the 60s. It sits there small and unnoticed all winter, explodes in April, seeds itself, and dies. By the time you see it in spring, it's already done the damage and the seeds for next year are in the ground. Spraying it in May is like locking the door after the car is gone.

The only time to actually prevent Poa annua is a fall pre-emergent application, timed for the weeks it's germinating, which is right about now. We offer a Poa control service for lawns where we saw it in the spring, and if your technician flagged it on your property in May, it's already on your plan. If you're not sure, call the office and ask; Penny can look up your notes.

One honest caveat. A pre-emergent stops seed from germinating, and it doesn't know the difference between Poa seed and the grass seed you just paid for. We don't put Poa control on an area that was seeded this fall, and we won't recommend both on the same lawn in the same season. Seeding fixes thin lawns; Poa control fixes a specific recurring weed. Your technician will tell you which one your lawn needs first.

Two things that help regardless: mow at 3 inches or higher (Poa loves short grass), and stop overwatering. Poa thrives in soil that stays wet. This is one of the quieter reasons customers on Hydra-Guard see less of it; the lawn needs less water, so the surface dries out between rains.

3. Ticks: the second peak is happening right now

Adult blacklegged (deer) ticks, the ones that carry Lyme, are most active in October and November, not July. They stay active any day above freezing, and they're big enough to see, which is the only good news. The reason this catches people off guard is that mosquitoes are gone, the yard feels safe, and this is exactly the month everybody is out raking leaves along the wooded edge of the property, which is where the ticks are.

Protecting yourself while you're doing yard work this fall:

• Treat your work clothes with permethrin, not your skin. One treatment on boots, socks, pants and a jacket lasts several washes and is the single most effective thing you can do. Spray them outside the day before and let them dry.
• Light-colored pants tucked into socks when you're raking at the tree line or dealing with the brush pile. It looks ridiculous. It works.
• Check yourself within two hours, and shower. Behind the knees, waistband, hairline, armpits. A tick usually needs to be attached more than 24 hours to transmit Lyme, so a same-day check catches almost everything.
• Ten minutes in the dryer on high kills ticks on clothing. Washing alone does not.
• Dogs come inside carrying them. Run your hands over the dog after it's been in the leaves, and keep the vet's tick prevention going through December, not just the summer.

In the yard itself: keep leaves raked back from the edge where the lawn meets woods or a brook, keep the woodpile off the ground and away from the house, and if you have kids or a swing set near the tree line, a three-foot strip of mulch or gravel between lawn and woods makes a real difference. Our Yard Armour Year-Round program adds a tick application in November and another in March on top of the warm-season visits, specifically because of this second peak. If you're on the Seasonal version and your yard backs up to woods in Congers, Suffern, Montvale or the Township of Washington, November is the month to think about upgrading.

4. A few more things for the next four weeks

• Seeded this fall? Keep watering it. The rain has been helpful but new grass still needs moisture through October, and leaves have to come off it within a few days. The details are in last week's post.
• Skunks or raccoons tearing up the lawn at night? That's grubs. They're big and near the surface right now, feeding before they go deep for winter. There's still a short window to treat; call us, because the damage gets worse fast in October.
• Lime can go down any time the ground isn't frozen. Pascack Valley and Rockland soil both run acidic, and it's built into our programs, so if you're a customer it's already handled.
• Last mow early to mid November, one notch lower than you've been cutting. Don't scalp it.

The short version

Don't skip the fall feeding. If you saw pale seedy grass in May, ask about Poa control now, not in spring. Treat your yard-work clothes with permethrin and check yourself when you come in. Keep the leaves off new seed. Do those and your lawn, and you, go into winter in good shape.

Questions about your own lawn: (845) 638-4999 in Rockland, (201) 664-4358 in the Pascack Valley and northern Bergen, or send the form and Penny or Karen will call you.