CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Temperatures are starting to cool. What should you do to your lawn to ensure a green, glorious spring?

Correcting the soil's pH should be done now. Check with your county extension agent for test kits or purchase them from a local garden center. If the soil test shows a need to reduce acidity, apply lime now. If your lawn is too alkaline, apply sulfur.

Dethatch. Rake up those compacted clippings. Rent an aerator to help loosen the soil. Rake those leaves that fall -- or run over them with a mulching mower to make sure they don't smother your grass.

There are two main types of grass: cool-season and warm-season. The cool-season grasses are bluegrasses, bentgrasses, fescues and ryegrasses. Warm-season turf types include bermudagrass, Saint-Augustinegrass, zoysiagrass and buffalograss.

Cool-season grasses need lots of water in the fall, and they need 1 pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet of lawn, applied sometime between September and November. If you're using a natural organic fertilizer like dehydrated poultry waste, you can double the rate. Also, double the rate for nonorganic fertilizers if this is the only time of year you fertilize, or if you fertilize just one other time in the early summer. Turf grass must be green when nitrogen is applied. Make sure the soil is moist so the nitrogen will dissolve easily.

Lin Diacont, president of the Virginia Green Industry Council, says if you don't fertilize, your lawn will gradually thin and weeds may invade. Proper and timely fertilization can be good for both your lawn and the environment. There is less chance for nutrient and soil runoff to surface waters from a healthy stand of grass than bare soil or thin grass. Healthy lawns will have less disease, insect and weed problems, reducing the need for pesticide applications. Well-maintained lawns look appealing and are more wear-tolerant.

Don't fertilize warm-season grasses in the fall. They harden off in the winter, and fertilizing will interrupt this process.

Kanawha County Fair

Kanawha County Extension Agent John Porter is reintroducing open exhibits for people to show off their produce, flowers, home canning, quilts and crafts at the Kanawha County Fair, Sept. 10-13 at Camp Virgil Tate.

This year's county fair, thanks to the folks at the extension office, is looking more and more like a traditional fair. There will be lectures by Porter ("Preparing Your Garden and Landscape for Winter"), and by agent Brenda Porter ("Preserving Food Safely") as well as "Agriculture in the Classroom," beekeeping demonstrations, forestry and tree leaf identifications, rabbit judging, apple butter making and a pie bakeoff.

Visit www.kanawhacountyfair.org to get the full schedule of events and to download entry forms and rules, or call 304-768-1202.

Bleeding hearts

Betty Anderson of St. Albans called to tell me her bleeding hearts are disappearing from her garden. When she moved to St. Albans from Buckhannon years ago, she said there were lots of the beautiful plants, but they are not as plentiful now.

Bleeding hearts die off in the summer, and the foliage can turn ugly. Continuous watering, even after the blooms are gone, will help keep the foliage attractive. Cut the dead plants in the fall.

I'm not sure why Betty's plants are disappearing, other than due to natural old age. I once read that plants die because of lack of energy -- like an old, rechargeable battery, they are drained and can't be recharged.

Are there any bleeding hearts experts who can help us here?

Weekend getaway

If you're looking for a nice getaway for the weekend, visit the Country Festival and Back Forty Nature Walk in Paris, Ky. You can pick your own apples and pears (including Asian pears). There's a beautiful nature trail, walks along an old stagecoach road, the campsite of Frank and Jesse James and a longer hike out to the "Back Forty." Crafts, food booths from area craftsmen and vendors, local musicians, as well as fresh fruit slushies, ice cream made from the farm's fruits and berries or homemade oven-fried pies make for a lovely day.

This all takes place outside Lexington, Ky., 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Oct. 3 at Reed Valley Orchard, 239 Lail Lane, Paris, KY 40361. Call 859-987-6480 or visit www.reedvalleyorchard.com.

Reach Sara Busse at sara.bu...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1249.