Labor Day is behind us and the kids are back in school. These are signs that fall is upon us and fall is the second busiest season of the year for gardeners.

This is the time to plant trees and shrubs, transplant perennials and make or upgrade a lawn.

If you are planning to plant a new lawn or rejuvenate an existing lawn, now is the ideal time to do it. Penn State University recommends this be done between now and Oct. 1. The earlier the work is done, the more time the new grass can establish itself before the ground freezes.

It is wise to have your soil tested before beginning. The test results will tell you what needs to be added to the soil.

A soil test kit can be purchased from the Cooperative Extension Office for $9. Test results are usually received within seven to 10 days from Penn State.

Most lawns did not go dormant this summer because of the cool, wet weather, and the lawns have a green color. However, a lot of that color is from weeds, not grass. Now is the best time to eliminate these weeds.

Herbicides that kill weeds are more effective when applied in the fall than in the spring. This is because in the spring, perennial plants such as weeds are using their stored up energy to produce new growth. Because of this, the roots do not absorb the weed killer.

In the fall, the roots are absorbing nutrients, including the weed killer, and the roots are destroyed. When herbicides are applied in the spring, the foliage may die, but the roots are still viable. New top growth can soon reappear.

Liquid weed killers are more effective than granular weed and feed products. The herbicide must remain on the weeds and foliage long enough to be absorbed by the plants.

The granular materials fail to adhere to the foliage and most, if not all, of the herbicide is wasted unless applied under ideal conditions.

Another reason for destroying weeds in the fall is the thin areas in the sod resulting from the killed weeds will not fill in with crab grass, which can happen when the weeds are killed in the spring.

Early fall fertilization is the most important feeding of the year. This is the time when grass plants are growing new tiller. This is especially important in most fine fescue and rye grass turf.

Tillers are new plants that form directly next to older plants. Clusters of tillers form around each plant and the clump gradually expands outward and grows into a tough, dense turf.

Tillers are constantly being formed, but the rate of growth is much faster in the fall. Kentucky blue grass also develops tillers but the principle growth is from rhizomes, which are underground stems.

Fertilization should be completed by the end of September. If it is delayed until October, it causes the grass to be too succulent when cold weather arrives. The grass then becomes susceptible to winter diseases such as snow mold.

The winterizer type of fertilizer should not be applied in our area until the ground freezes. Normally this is around Thanksgiving.