Introduction Grasses store nitrogen (N) as nitrate in the bases of stems and shoots. Research conducted by Guillard and Morris (2013) at the University of Connecticut suggests that nitrate accumulate in the shoot bases of perennial turf grasses during the fall (when new leaf blade formation declines), which could be a significant source of N for the turf plant at the onset of new growth in the following spring after winter dormancy. At the optimum critical level of nitrate-N concentration and beyond, the turf response will plateau or flatten out – increasing the fall verdure nitrate-N concentrations with more fertilizer beyond the optimum critical level will not increase the grass quality in the fall or the following spring; the maximum quality response has been reached.

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