Fall Fertilizer e-Corganite on Lawn - December 2021

I started my lawn feeding program this year (2021) with a granular bio solid product called e-Corganite (from Menards) and I'm finishing off the year with the same 40# bags of e-Corganite for my late Fall/early Winter dormant feeding.  I had three bags of this fertilizer on hand and threw it down heavy this weekend.  I'm PRETTY SURE that I did the same thing (an early December feeding) last year, but I don't have it posted on the blog.  Here's a post from early December 2019 showing how I used a few bags of Milorganite on the lawn as it was dormant and cool.  

Many folks will tell you that this late Fall/early Winter dormant feeding of the lawn is the *most* important one you can do - and if you were to do JUST ONE feeding per year, this one might be the one to choose.  Penn State's extension office says the benefits of feeding your lawn this time of year include a good 'green up'.  From PSU:

Late fall fertilization should take place when shoot growth ceases, the grass is still green, and before the soil freezes. Benefits of fertilizing in late fall include better winter color, enhanced spring green-up, and possibly increased rooting.

I like all of those benefits.  I mean...who wouldn't, right?   Winter color would be helpful for me as my lawn isn't looking awesome in the back with some tired and worn out parts.  I overseeded a patch with a new variety - Tall Fescue - and while that part came in really well, it is a distinctly DIFFERENT color and style of grass, so it (currently) sticks out pretty bad.   My plan is to try a Spring overseeding with some additional Tall Fescue - in an attempt to blend it in a bit.  The back part of my lawn is likely in need of a full restoration as (I believe) Poa Annua has taken over and needs to get killed off and replaced with new seed (likely Tall Fescue).  

But, the three benefits of an early December lawn feeding laid out above (Winter color, Spring green-up and increased rooting) aren't the only thing I'm after this Fall.  This Fall I was pretty dedicated to mulching in my leaves into the lawn and some of the beds.  I learned a while back that Fall leaf litter - if mulched up is GOLD for the garden and lawn.  But, in reading about how to best deal with the leaves, I've begun to pick up on the idea of applying a heavy nitrogen fertilizer (granular) on top of the leaf mulch in the lawn.  To sort of speed up the process of decomposition by combining the nitrogen (fertilizer) with the carbons of the leaves to sort of accelerate the composting action on the lawn.   So, let's call that the fourth benefit of Fall lawn feeding:  helping with the leaf litter that has been mulched in the lawn. 

Now...when I think about the lawn across the full season, I'd say that things went mostly well.  There are two things:  First...#17 on my (current) 2021 to-do list was to 'check the box on turf management'.  I'm putting this in the pile with a bunch of other actions to close out the year on lawns.  

But, for 2022, I'm now thinking that I need to add a couple of items:  first...overseed with some Tall Fescue to mix in with the KBG all over the lawn.  And, second:  do a complete restoration in the far back.