Watch Your Thatch Level
When soil becomes compacted over time, it restricts the grasss access to vital nutrients and makes it difficult for the soil to absorb water. Your lawn can also accumulate thatch. Thatch is a combination of living and dead plant matter. Grass clippings do not generally contribute to thatch buildup as they can be easily broken down. A small amount of thatch may be beneficial however, excessive thatch can cause root problems. Between compacted soil and thatch, your lawn could need some relief as part of your spring lawn care. Lawn aeration helps alleviate thatch, improve water absorption, and facilitate better grass growth.
First Things First: Youre Going To Need A Mower
A mower is the most obvious piece of lawn care equipment youll needunless you have barnyard animals grazing on your lawn. Robert and I agree that good mowing practices are some of the easiest things a homeowner can do to improve their lawn.
Choose a mower appropriate for the size of your lawn. If you have narrow areas to mow, consider the width of your mower. An electric mower is good for smaller lawns where you can manage an extension cord. A self-propelled, gas-powered model is helpful when mowing large and hilly areas.
Looking After New Lawns
Lawns from turf should be left completely un-used for their first week. Lawns from seed should be left un-used until their first mowing. Avoid using new lawns heavily in their first season.
Newly laid lawns can be fed like established lawns. They need watering, but should not be over watered, as this may result in shallow rooting and poor establishment.
For advice on aftercare of newly sown lawns, see our advice on lawns from seed.
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Spring Lawn Care Commandments:
Spring is the time of year when the breeze is filled with the scent of fresh cut grass and its tough to keep yourself from working out in the yard. Watering, mowing, fertilizing, watering and mowing again is it all necessary right now? The answer is, not at all! While watching your neighbors drag their hoses and push fertilizer spreaders, sit back on the patio and give your lawn some tough love to prepare it for the coming wrath of summer. Here is a Though Shalt Not list for spring lawn care:
Thou shalt not water unless REALLY necessaryIn the spring, your lawn puts on a big flush of new top growth. So get out there and mow, mow, mow. But dont water! In the Kansas City area, there is generally enough spring moisture to sustain the growth of your lawn. By withholding irrigation until late June to early July, your turf will develop drought and heat tolerance which will toughen it up for the summer. Grit your teeth and dont feel guilty about keeping the hose coiled up and the irrigation system turned off. When it is time to water, remember these two words: deep and infrequent. The key is getting moisture past the soil surface and to the lawns deepest roots.
Spring lawn care does not have to be arduous if you follow these simple Spring Lawn Care Commandments.
Have questions? The Garden Hotline is staffed by trained EMG volunteers and Extension staff who will assist you with questions.
Phone: 715-7050
Spring Tips For Southern Lawns
In southern lawns, spring lawn care builds slowly. Common warm-season lawn grasses, such as Bermudagrass or Zoysia grass, are just beginning to exit dormancy on their way to greening up. These springtime tasks for southern lawns can help your lawn move from early to late spring so it’s ready and positioned for the surge of summer growth:
Start spring with sharp, clean mower blades.
Always read product labels thoroughly and follow instructions.
Pennington with design, One Step Complete, Smart Seed and Water Star are registered trademarks of Pennington Seed, Inc.
UltraGreen is a registered trademark of Central Garden & Pet Company.
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Mowing For A Healthy Lawn
Lawns appreciate a clean-cut, which is why a sharp mower blade is important. Dull blades tend to rip or tear grass blades, leaving them more susceptible to disease and drying out.
Ideally, mower blades should be sharpened a couple of times each season. Instead of taking it to a hardware store, you might consider learning how to sharpen the blade yourself.
Robert took this one step further. I now have an extra blade I keep sharpened and rotate them out once a month. This avoids the need to take his mower in every time the blade needs to be sharpened. Thanks for the great tip, Robert!
Take The Soils Temperature
Just because the springtime air feels warm doesnt mean that things are balmy underground. Soil temperature is an important turf-care factor, influencing everything from how much you water and when you fertilize to how frequently you mow.
At Buffalo Dunes, which is planted to cool-season grasses, roots dont really get growing until the soil temperature reaches around 55 degrees. Thats true of grass. Its also true of weeds.
When the mercury gets to that threshold in the ground, Payne knows its time to get his mowing into gear and that its time to put down pre-emergent herbicides that will help keep weeds at bay as the season unfolds. For home use, inexpensive soil thermometers arent hard to find. But a meat thermometer like the one used during Thanksgiving will also do the trick.
Soil temperatures are going to do what they do, Payne says. You cant control them but you can let them be your guide. A lot of people feel like they have to stick to a certain schedule, like, I always mow on Mondays, Payne says. But depending on whats happening with the soil, the grass might still just be waking up and not need that. It might really just be time to pump the brakes.
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Repair Bald Patches Of Your Lawn
If you have very obvious bald patches on your lawn, don’t worry they can be easily fixed.
You can simply sow more grass seed ‘Try where possible to use the same grass species as you already have in your lawn,’ says David. For an even quicker fix, lay new portions of turf.
Our guide on how to repair lawn patches has all the in-depth advice you need.
You can replace bare patches with new turf for a quick fix
Cutting Heights Vary By Grass Variety
Knowing the variety or varieties of grass that make up your lawn determines the optimum mowing height. As a general rule mow tall and never cut off more than one-third of grass blades, even if that means having to cut overgrown areas over several mowings.
You may think that the shorter you cut the lawn, the less often youll have to mow. Unfortunately, it doesnt work that way. Cutting grass too short can harm the lawn and invites weed seeds to settle in. Longer leaf blades crowd out weeds and indicate a deeper root system, which is much healthier for the lawn.
Mow in a different direction every time to help prevent ruts from forming and it makes for a more attractive lawn.
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What are the best ways to care for lawn in spring? Our guide outlines what you should and shouldnt do to have a beautiful lawn.
Often the beloved lawn suffers during the winter and reaches spring only in a battered state. For your lawn to thrive properly, it needs sunlight, nutrients, water and, of course, proper care. In order to get you started with lawn care properly in spring, we would like to tell you in the following article what exactly the lawn care in spring includes.
Keep Seasonal Weeds At Bay By Applying A Pre
Pre-emergent herbicides prevent seeds from sprouting, which includes both weed and grass seeds. They must be applied before weed seeds have a chance to sprout to be effective. If its applied too late in the season, weeds have already started to sprout in your lawn.
Robert found that there are a few pre-emergents on the market that can be used in conjunction with seeding or overseeding your lawn, without the risk of preventing the grass seed from sprouting. Although he used one of these products successfully, I recommend spacing apart the two maintenance activities as the manufacturer suggests which is typically 6 weeks. I feel its better for a beginner to have a sure bet and eliminate the risk of using the wrong product.
Soil temperature is your best indicator of when to apply a pre-emergent. Heres a useful link to a national soil temperature map for determining soil temperatures in your area. You could also use an inexpensive soil thermometer, which will give you more accurate results.
Allyn, The Lawn Care Nut, provides more in-depth information on using pre-emergent herbicides, as well as a free pre-emergent guide, which provides step-by-step instructions for applying a pre-emergent for both warm-season and cool-season grass varieties.
Its Roberts sense of pride in ownership and doing the work himself that drives him to continue to learn more about lawn care. I know enough to do it myself and it doesnt take much equipment. I love doing the work myself.
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By Step Guide To Care For Lawn In Spring
The ecological aspect of the lawnA persons oxygen needs can already be met with two square metres of healthy lawn. Accordingly, a beautiful, healthy lawn is not only an optical enrichment, but also an ecological one. The proper care of your lawn therefore pays off.
In order to optimally care for your lawn in spring, the following step-by-step guide will help you. To get the best results, you should do the individual care measures in the order listed:
- Uncovering the lawn
- Possibly sowing lawns
2.1. The cleaning of the lawn
Before you can really start taking care of your lawn, it is important to remove broken wood and old foliage. This way you prepare your lawn for further steps and give it optimal growth opportunities. Foliage, for example, causes too moist areas that can damage the growth of the lawn.
There are mole hills on your lawn, but you dont want a subtenant? Then tighten the exits and remove the piles. Remember, however, that the visually impaired rodents are often protected by nature conservation.
2.2. Mowing and trimming
During April is usually the optimal time for the first lawn mowing. Make sure that you do not set the cutting height too low: Four centimeters are considered optimal for the first cut. Finally, it can still get cold in April, which can lead to damage to the roots if the lawn is too short.
2.3. The vertication and ventilation
2.4. The lime of the soil
2.5. Fertilization
2.6. Sowing the lawn
Pick Up Sticks And Mow High
Storms during the winter season likely deposited a smattering of fallen leaves, branches, and twigs on your lawn. Once you’ve picked up this debris and disposed of it properly, you’re ready to mow.The best-kept secret to lush, thick lawns? Mow high. Setting your mower to the highest possible setting for your grass type allows the blades to grow thick and develop a deep root system. This method also crowds out weeds, putting you well on your way to cultivating the most enviable backyard on the block.
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Why Is Spring An Important Time For Your Lawn
Larry Yeates, a landscape gardener turned hobbyist blogger and the founder of Lawnmower Larry , explains that ‘early spring is the perfect time to put your gloves on and get out in the garden. If done right, a little sweat equity can go a long way, maximizing your garden’s chance to really thrive during the growing season.’So, armed with the best gardening tools and a few hours of your spare time over a couple of spring weekends, here are the most important jobs to do when preparing a lawn for spring.
Check Your Ph And Balance Your Soil
Having the correct pH level for your lawn can help alleviate many lawn care issues in the long run. Lawn Doctor can professionally test your soil to help you determine which treatment is right for your lawn.
Soil enrichment stimulates a stronger and healthier root system while improving the structure of your lawns soil. The process also improves root penetration and soil water retention, making regular watering more effective. Soil enrichment can also reduce damaging salts from the root zone and improve soil aeration.
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Spring Lawn Care Steps
Rake
Spring raking removes lingering fall leaves and grass blades that did not survive winter. Left alone, these dead blades add to your lawn’s thatch layer. Raking also loosens matted grass clumps caused by snow mold, which can smother new growth.
Use a spring-tine rake with a strong upward pull to remove dead grass. Rake when soil is not soft and muddy, or you risk pulling up healthy grass crowns.
Overseed
Fill bare or thin spots in the lawn by overseeding. Late spring is the best time to overseed warm-season grass. Fall is the ideal time for cool-season grass, but in colder regions, spot-seeding small areas in spring yields good results. When you overseed, apply a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer. Five weeks after overseeding, apply a quick-release nitrogen feed.
Learn about causes of bare spots in lawns, how to prevent them and how to treat them.
Aerate
Vital for a truly healthy lawn, aeration is the solution for compacted soil. How often you should aerate your lawn depends on soil type and how you use your lawn. Late spring to early summer is the right time to aerate warm-season grasses. Fall is the best time for cool-season types. But if you didn’t get to it last fall, you can tackle it in early spring. Learn the secrets behind aerating and how to aerate properly.
Dethatch
Spring is the right time to dethatch turf. Aim for early spring for cool-season grasses and late spring to early summer for warm-season grasses. Learn more about dethatching.
Weed
Fertilize
Water
Spring Lawn Care Guide: The Steps To Fix A Lawn In One Year
Heres your Spring Lawn Care Guide!
Were going to start with a summary and then in a few minutes were going to go into greater detail. Watch the summary and then refer back to the detail section as much as you like.
Before winter ends and while your grass is still dormant you need to resist the urge to fertilize, dethatch, or apply-pre-emergents. Wait until your lawn starts waking up and wait until soil temps start creeping towards 50 before you apply weed preventers. There are caveats to all of this however and Ill cover many of them further down this page.
As winter is ending youll want to coax your lawn back to life again by raking it to get grass blades standing upright. Mechanically aerating it and watering it deeply , youll then apply humic acids, micro-nutrients, and liquid iron.
This will get the grass started so take your time to put the sharpest blade you possibly can on your mower so that you are ready to use it when the grass starts growing.
Apply weed prevention product of choice then set the sprinkler schedule to very deeply water once a week but no more.
Start mowing twice a week and then apply slow-release organic fertilizer in addition to a liquid aeration product to push balanced growth through the Spring and stimulate microbial life in the soil.
You can manually or mechanically dethatch a lawn that has a problem at this time after regular growth has commenced.
7. When To Aerate In The Spring8. How Early Do You Mow The Lawn In The Spring
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Don’t Stress The Lawn
‘Winter lawns already have much to cope with, so it’s best not to walk on it if you can help it. Doing so will compact it, just as leaving furniture or play equipment on it does,’ says Rachel Crow.
‘I would also stop any lawn treatments that aren’t emergency measures now, too, since the lawn’s slow growth will make it hard for it to recover in winter. So, no scarifying a lawn or dethatching a lawn at present, and leave any repairing of patches in lawns until spring.’
Seed And Lime The Lawn As Needed
Plant grass seed in bare spots in your lawn or wherever growth is sparse. Consider seeding while applying a slow release nitrogen fertilizer. Early spring and fall are ideal times for reseeding.
- Spring is the best time to test your yards pH to determine if your soil is too acidic. Most grasses grow best when the soil pH is between 5.8 and 7.2. If your soil is too acidic, you can see an influx of moss, weeds, diseases and insect pests.
- Use a soil test kit to find your soil’s pH or ask a county extension agent if he or she can test for you.
- In many parts of the country, lime application can make the soil less acidic and help the grass better absorb fertilizers and nutrients from the soil.
- Soil pH changes over time, so retest yearly until your results are balanced. Afterwards, an established lawn can be tested every three years or so.
- Spring and fall are the best times to add lime to a lawn that needs it. Use soil test results to know how much lime to apply and follow the directions on the lime package.
Tip: Grass planted in spring may need extra watering, weeding and other attention during the summer. Fall seeding requires less fuss.
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