The coming of spring heralds a whole new beginning for the lawn. It is the perfect opportunity to begin a proper lawn care program or reinforce an existing one by performing any number of cultural practices. During the early spring the grass is waking up from winter dormancy and utilizing carbohydrate reserves stored in the roots after a late fall fertilizing. Take cues from mother nature and look for blooming forsythia and new growth within the lawn to begin certain tasks.

The ground is warming up and any weed seeds in the thatch or soil will soon begin to emerge and compete with the grass. There is a lot going on so it is important to begin the season with gusto to eliminante problems that may appear later on in the season.

 

Crabgrass Control - One of the more important spring activities is getting the upper hand on crabgrass. If there was a lot of crabgrass present the previous season, it's a good bet that there are plenty of seeds in the thatch layer waiting to germinate when the temperatures become suitable. Pre-emergent crabgrass control is the go-to application in the spring, unless your lawn is organically maintained. That requires an entirely different approach. Read more...

 

Repairing Bare Patches- Once the temperatures have warmed up enough to germinate seed, it is a good idea to get out there and repair any bare patches or thinning turf that may have been a problem last season. It is very important that bare patch repairs do not overlap the use of pre-emergent herbicide.

Most pre-emergent crabgrass prevention herbicide is toxic to all seeds in the soil, not just crabgrass- and they are effective for up to 12 weeks. There are alternate herbicides to use if extensive seeding is required, or you could work on the bare patch repairs in the fall. Read more...

 

Dethatching the Lawn- Spring is an ideal time to de-thatch the lawn if the thatch layer is getting excessive. The de-thatching not only thins the thatch layer to better allow increased penetration of water, air, and nutrients but it promotes increased growth of stolons and rhizomes at the perfect time. Dethatching tends to stir up weeds seeds so it is crucial to apply a pre-emergent prior to the activity or if you have an organic lawn do away with dethatching altogether. An organic lawn will not accumulate thatch as quickly as a conventional lawn since the main cause of excessive thatch is repeated applications of high nitrogen fertilizers. Read more...

 

Sprinkler System Start-up- Another sign of spring is the annual firing up of the sprinkler system. It's tempting to set a program and get right at a regular watering schedule but usually the spring rains provide enough water for the grass and while it's great to have the system up and running and available to use, chances are it will not be needed until mid-summer when the weather is hot and dry. Avoid the temptation to start watering the lawn immediately upon starting the system up in the spring. Read more...

 

Applying Lime to the Lawn- As part of a complete lawn care program, soil tests can provide an insight into your lawn that is crucial to the optimum growth of the grass. If a soil's pH is out of balance it can lead to a decline in turf quality, often lime is added as a soil amendement. Adjusting the pH of the soil can take several years of seasonal applications so liming the lawn has become another spring-time application. Having the soil tested every 3-5 years will provide a picture of what is going on in the soil and allow the lawn owner to track the progress of the soil's pH and other nutrient values. Read more...