When To Prepare Lawn For Spring

Not Following Seeding Rate

When you buy seeds, the packet will tell you the seeding rate. This is a requirement and not a recommendation that helps you understand how much seed your lawn needs.

As I mentioned earlier in this article, I usually apply about 1.25 x the recommended overseeding rate because I love a really dense lawn. I also use an online tool to measure my lawn square footage and get the seed quantity correct for my lawn.

But following the manufacturers recommendation will usually give you a good result.

Ignoring The Lawn After Aeration And Overseeding

This seems like a no brainer, but youd be surprised how many people go through the task of aerating and overseeding and then simply dont follow-through with watering their lawn in the weeks following.

Unfortunately, those seeds you planted are not magical. They wont grow overnight, and they wont grow without consistent water.

The good news is simply ensuring the soil covering the seeds is kept moist is a good start for driving growth. If you do that and nothing else, youll probably get good results.

Service The Lawn Mower

Spring also means it’s time to get out the lawn mower and give it a once over. Start it up; stubborn start-ups are a sign that it might be due for a tune-up. Give your mower a tune-up once a year. In three easy steps, you can get your mower back in tip-top shape. If your lawnmower needs more than a tune-up, then consider getting a new one.

Among the key tune-up tasks is sharpening the mower blade. A regular sharpening will ensure the blade severs, rather than tears, the grass plants, leading to a nice green lawn rather than one with ragged brown tips.

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Fertilizing In The Spring

If you properly fertilized your lawn in the fall, there is probably no need to apply another layer of fertilizer in the spring. Cool season grasses in particular are good at holding on to fertilizer from the fall and using it all winter.

There is a good chance that your cool season grass is still utilizing the fertilizer from the fall throughout the spring and into the summer. Warm season grasses may need a fresh layer of fertilizer during the spring because they begin to soak up the nutrients as soon as the weather gets warmer.

Spring Lawn Care Tips: How To Revive Your Grass And Get It Looking Tip

Discover our spring lawn care tips and get your lushest grass yet through raking, scarifying, mowing and feeding

ByHolly Crossley2021-02-15T13:10:00Z

Now winter is behind us, it’s time to discover our spring lawn care tips. After all, the early signs of spring are already starting to show, from the first flowering bulbs to the slightly lighter evenings. It won’t be long before everything bursts back into life after the quiet, dormancy period of winter.

For many of us, a luscious lawn is one of the most important features of the garden come warmer months. We all want picture-perfect grass that’s a beautiful shade of green lovely for lounging on, running across barefoot, or simply admiring from the patio. We certainly don’t want an eyesore of shabby, moss-filled, half-dead turf to be the focal point of our plot.

To achieve the former, preparation is key. And whether your garden is large or small, we’re here to help you on your way. So read on to discover our spring lawn care tips, from how to use your best lawn mower to advice on over-seeding, and more.

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Spring Tasks To Foster A Great Lawn

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When spring is in the air, you’ll see the first crocuses or daffodils return, marking the coming of the season. These signs should also signal to you that it’s time to get your lawn ready for the growing season. The exact timing of these lawn care tasks depends upon the climate of your region. If you get snow in your area, then start when you are pretty confident the snow season is over. Or time the start of your yard work with the point when the local forsythia plants stop blooming and the local lilac bushes begin to flower.

For homeowners in most regions, there are eight tasks you should complete in the spring to foster a healthy lawn.

Help The Grass Get Some Fresh Air

Its important to Aerate and Seed the lawn in peak growing season so that the grass can bounce back quickly. An aerator tool bores small, shallow holes into the ground. The purpose is to break up compact soil, provide adequate space for grass to grow, and allow the roots access to fresh air and nutrients more efficiently.

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Get A Jump On The Weeds

Apply pre-emergent weed control to prevent unwanted growth, such as crabgrass.

As the name suggests, pre-emergent herbicides must be applied before weeds emerge to have any real effect, since they work by preventing weed seeds from germinating in the first place, according to HGTV.com. If you wait until after the weeds emerge, the herbicide wont have any effect.

Tips To Prepare Your Lawn For Spring In Utah

Springtime in Utah is often dramatic with high winds, snow flurries and sunshine, and rainbows – sometimes all in one day! Utahans like to joke that the beginning of spring, March 20th or 21st, is actually called Sprinter. When we finally roll into true spring-like weather with melting snow and warmer temperatures, it is time to think about getting a head start on lawn care. Big League Lawns suggests keeping in mind the following 5 tips to prepare your lawn for spring in Utah.

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Groom The Grass At The Beginning Of The Season

Dont be surprised if your grass looks sad and worn down when the snow clears. The winter is a harsh challenge for any lawn. In the early spring, lightly rake the lawn to help perk up the turf ahead of the growing season. As soon as the soil dries out a bit, carefully clear away leaves and dead grass using a regular leaf rake. This will break up any matted areas and improve airflow the surface of the blades.

Wait to begin raking until the ground has dried out and firmed up in the spring. If the soil is muddy, you risk damaging the grass by walking and working on it. Also remember to be gentle. The old grass and new growth are fragile, plus moist soil makes it easier to pull the blades out of the ground.

Getting Ready For Spring Lawn Care

As your lawn responds to nature’s spring wake-up call, help prepare it for a year of healthy growth with the lawn care it needs to help it thrive. By tackling a few simple chores, you will prepare your lawn to defend itself against this year’s wave of weeds, diseases and drought.

Related Products

Anytime in early spring or fall

Use only on established lawns of the following turf types: Bermudagrass, centipedegrass, all varieties of St. Augustinegrass and zoysia.

Do not use on any other turf types: bahiagrass, bentgrass, ormond variety of Bermudagrass, buffalograss, carpetgrass, dichondra, fescue, kikuyugrass, ryegrass or seashore paspalum lawns.

Use 2.5 pounds per 1,000 square feet

Apply anytime – spring through fall at temperatures between 50 degrees F and 90 degrees F.

On established lawns without harming lawn grasses.

Do not use on Carpetgrass, improved varieties of St. Augustinegrass, such as floratam, dichondra or desirable clovers.

• 0.073% Dicamba
• 0.240% Dithiopyr

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Apply Fertilizer And Pre

In early spring, its important to apply fertilizer to feed your grass. Also, consider using a pre-emergent herbicide as a natural way to prevent weeds before they grow.

Fertilizer helps supplement the lawn with nutrients it lost during winter. Most experts agree that fertilizer should be applied at least twice a year. Usually, the first fertilization is planned for April or May, however, it all depends on your lawn. Fertilization depends on the type of grass you have, so speak with a professional about the correct lawn care program for you.

Cool-season grasses, such as bluegrass or ryegrass, should be fertilized in early spring and the onset of fall. Warm-season grasses should be fertilized in the spring and again in late summer.

After your spring fertilization, six to eight weeks later, its a good idea to reapply both products. Speak with a professional about setting up the perfect fertilization schedule.

Learn more about fertilization and herbicides. When it comes to choosing an organic fertilizer that works, we highly recommend;Holganix Bio 800+. Contact the experts at ABC to schedule your fertilization program, weed control, aeration and other lawn services.

Clearing Your Lawn Of Winter Debris

If you havent paid much attention to your lawn over the winter months, now is the time to get out there and start your lawn care. Begin by removing any debris that may have collected on your lawn over winter. Debris could include fallen leaves and branches, toys that were left out too long, or any other items that were left out, such as pool equipment or building supplies.

To green up in the spring, your lawn needs access to plenty of fresh air and sunlight. If the turf is covered in some areas, those areas wont get what they need, and you may end up with a patchy lawn. It is best to clear your whole lawn now while your grass is still dormant so that once it starts to grow, nothing stands in its way.

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Tip #: Now Is The Best Time To Start Preparing The Lawn For Spring

If you didnt get the chance to winterize the lawn last fall, then NOW is the best time to start preparing your lawn for spring. March is historically our snowiest month followed by April as the second snowiest. Even with all this early spring snow, Colorado lawns can still dry out significantly.

Pay attention to the local weather conditions and get the hose out . Water south and west facing exposures if we go 10-14 days without any rain or snow. Pay special attention around large evergreens and sloping areas. This will accomplish two things: It will keep the roots and crowns of the grass plants hydrated and it will mitigate any turf mite damage that IS occurring.

Winterizing A Sprinkler System

You can pay the irrigation company $125 every year to blow out your sprinkler system, or you can use your air compressor and do it yourself. You just have to be careful not to leave any water in the line or it might freeze over the winter and burst a pipe. Also be aware that even the largest home compressor isnt powerful enough to blow out the entire system at once, so youll probably have to blow it out zone by zone.

If youre into number-crunching and you have the original irrigation layout showing the gallons per minute of each sprinkler head, just divide the total gpm of each zone by 7.5. Thatll give you the cubic feet per minute your compressor needs to blow out the zone. Otherwise, just rent a 10-cfm compressor and hose from your local tool rental center.

Set the compressor air-pressure regulator to a maximum of 80 psi for rigid PVC pipe systems, or 50 psi for flexible black polyethylene pipe. Then turn off the water supply and set the system timer to open just one zone. Next, open the manual drain valve at the end of that zone .

Close off both valves on the backflow preventer. Then remove the plug on the blow-out port and screw in a quick-connect hose adapter. Snap on the air hose and connect the other end to the compressor . Then blow out the line. The heads should pop up and spit out water. Disconnect the hose as soon as they run dry.

Family Handyman

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How To Use Aeration And Overseeding Together

While both aeration and overseeding are separate techniques to improve your lawn, they can be used together to create a rich, vibrant lawn.

Overseeding immediately after core aeration allows excellent soil contact for your new grass seed as it falls into the holes you made in your turf.

This improves germination rate, and you simultaneously strengthen existing grass plants while thickening your lawn with healthy new seedlings.

Its the perfect combination, and these projects can be completed together in a day.

Mulch Leaves For Fall Grass Fertilizer

If youre not a fan of raking leaves, then consider investing in a mulching mower. A mulching mower shreds leaves into tiny flakes that settle into the fall grass and decompose into natural fertilizer. You might have to go over some areas two or three times to completely chop up the leaves. Still, its fast, easy and it makes the grass happy and theres no raking involved!

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What To Do When The Snow Melts: Preparing Your Lawn For Spring

Posted Mar 24th, 2021 in Lawn Care

Did you know that the first day of spring for 2021 is ? Granted, there’s still a bit of time before the new season. But that doesn’t mean you should wait until then to start fixing up your yard!

In fact, there are some things you should do as end of winter lawn care to get ready for new life.

Are you now wondering about preparing your lawn for spring? Then read on. We’ll give you some quick tips here!

Apply The Right Fertilizer

Just before spring begins and after doing the above things, apply a suitable lawn fertilizer. You can go for an organic fertilizer because they are very and potent. A good advice is to combine the fertilizer with the above-discussed pre emergent and herbicide. Most lawn-care brands tend to offer this combination in order to make lawn management easy and reduce the cost.

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Drain Garden Hoses To Avoid Having To Buy New Ones

You may sometimes neglect to drain garden hoses before putting them away for the winter. Usually, its not a problem. But every once in a while, freezing water splits a hose open. You may have to replace a few cheap hoses, or maybe an expensive one or two. Thats just wasted money because draining hoses is so quick and easy: Blast out the water with an air compressor or stretch them out on a sloped yard or driveway. If you need to buy a new garden hose, learn how to do a simple test, right in the store, to see if the hose will be kink-free!

Clear Those Gutter Spouts

This is an ongoing fall chore that you shouldnt overlook clean all those wet autumn leaves from gutter spouts before the blockages damage your gutters and your roof. Your plumbers snake is a great tool for pulling clumps of wet leaves out of clogged downspouts. Check out more gutter-cleaning tips here.

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S For Spring Lawn Preparation

1. Clean Your Lawn

The first among spring lawn care steps to gear up your lawn for spring is cleaning up the twigs, leaves, and other debris gathered on your lawn over the winter months. Rakes are useful in lawn clean up but using air blowers is even easier. Any debris present in your lawn can get stuck in the mower and hinder the proper reach of fertilizers to your lawn.

2. Apply Fertilizer, Weed Killer, and Pre-Emergent

In early spring, go for a combination of fertilizer and pre-emergent. The fertilizer will feed your grass and the pre-emergent a herbicide will prevent crabgrass. Depending upon the pre-emergent used, it may be necessary to apply the two products again in addition to a broadleaf weed killer after six to eight weeks.

Most lawn care companies and several available lawn care blends provide a combination of weed killer and pre-emergent in one application that can reduce the time needed to apply them as well as the cost. Consult with your lawn care professional to achieve the best results for your lawn.

3. Mow Early and Often

4. Aerate Your Lawn

Aeration can resolve the problem of compacted soil and is essential for a truly healthy lawn. The frequency of aerating your lawn depends on how your lawn is used and the type of soil.

5. Water Your Lawn

6. Overseed Your Lawn

Perform an application of a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer when you overseed. Use a quick-release nitrogen feed after five weeks from overseeding.

Aerate Your Lawn Before You Overseed

If you are trying to bring your lawn back to life and want a fuller and healthier turf, you probably already know about overseeding.

Still, many people dont realize that aerating the lawn prior to overseeding is a win-win. I recommend it to nearly every homeowner hoping to improve their yards appearance!

Step-by-Step

• Step 1: Provide enough water to the soil as this makes aeration easier. Rain can do the job for you. If not, water the lawn a day before you plan to aerate your yard.
• Step 2: Get to know your aeration machine and its limitations. Some will only cover portions of the lawn so you may need to pass over the same area several times.
• Step 3: Sometimes you will encounter soil plugs as you are passing the aeration machine. While it is easy to ignore these, dont. Instead, break up these clumps of soil to ensure aeration can be more uniform.

You cannot aerate your lawn properly without machinery, especially an existing large patch of turf. There are three different types of aeration machines available:

If you plan to overseed following aeration, I recommend that you mow your lawn pretty short prior to beginning these renovations. This will prevent your existing grass from growing too tall too quickly .

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