Joel Lerner gets his DC readers ready for caring for their fall lawns. 

"There is a fine-textured cool season seed mix that is blended for thickness, slow growth and low nutrient requirements called Pearl’s Premium Ultra Low Maintenance Grass Seed, Sun or Shade. The mix contains five species of slow growing native fescues, plus frontier perennial rye and deep blue Kentucky bluegrass — all of which have germinated and grown well in sun and light shade conditions in the Washington region. Because this seed mix is slow-growing, your lawn will need mowing only monthly during the growing season. Spread seed at a rate of five pounds per 1,000 square feet if you have mostly healthy lawn. If your lawn is thin, spread seed at eight to 10 pounds per 1,000 square feet."

read the full article here:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/realestate/2011/09/27/gIQADCwq9K_print.html