In the garden this week (Sept. 3, 2026), if your lawn has a few bare or thin areas, now is a good time to reseed them. The cooler temperatures and typically more favorable moisture conditions of fall can give new grass a chance to establish before winter.
If you’re thinking about starting over or changing the type of grass in an area, consider a drought-tolerant grass mixture of buffalo grass and blue grama grass. Both are native prairie grasses and are well adapted to the conditions we often experience in South Dakota.
A buffalo grass and blue grama mix can provide good drought tolerance and handle plenty of foot traffic. Another bonus? These grasses generally don’t require as much mowing as some traditional lawn grasses. That could mean more time enjoying your yard and less time pushing the mower!
Since we’re talking about lawns, don’t put that mower away just yet! Keep your mower height at about 4 inches or even a little higher. Taller grass provides more leaf surface area, allowing the plant to produce more food through photosynthesis. Those nutrients are important as the grass develops and stores energy in its roots in preparation for winter.
This becomes especially important if we end up having a warm and dry winter. A healthy root system with good energy reserves gives your lawn a better chance of coming through winter in good shape and getting off to a strong start next spring. So, resist the temptation to give the lawn one last short haircut. Taller is better this time of year!
Right on schedule, fall webworms are showing up again.
The adult moth lays its eggs on the outer branches of trees. Once the eggs hatch, the small caterpillars begin feeding and create a web around themselves. The web provides protection as they grow.
While fall webworm nests can certainly be unsightly, the good news is that they generally don’t cause serious harm to healthy, established trees.
If you don’t want the webs hanging in your trees, you can simply remove them. A broom handle, pole, or similar tool can be used to pull the webbing and caterpillars out of the tree.
One important tip: Don’t stand directly underneath the nest when you’re removing it! You may get a few unwanted visitors dropping down on you.
If there was one weed that seemed to have a particularly good year, it was sandburs in the garden. Those painful little seed heads can become a real nuisance, especially around waste areas, roadsides, pastures, gardens. and prairie areas. If you have sandburs on your property, fall is a good time to start reducing the problem for next year.
Remove as many of the plants and seed heads as possible before they have a chance to spread even more. The fewer seeds that make it into the soil, the fewer plants you’ll have to deal with next year.
Next spring, consider using a preemergence herbicide labeled for sandbur control, such as Prowl, which is water-based, where appropriate and according to the product label. Preemergence products work by preventing weed seeds from successfully germinating, so timing is important.
Always read and follow the herbicide label, and make sure the product is labeled for the specific site and use before applying it, especially in the garden.