6 Spring Lawn Care Tips and Hints
Posted on Fri, Apr 15, 2011
Pest Control/Disease Repair:
Severe winters may increase the incidence of winter diseases such as snow mold. Proper cultural care is important in helping your lawn recover from stress related winter diseases. Properly timed fertilizer applications and mowing at the recommended height for your grass type are two items that will aid in the recovery of your lawn.
Fertilization:
Spring is a crucial time to fertilize because it replenishes the food reserves your yard draws from while dormant in the winter and fuels grass' rapid growth phase. A thick, healthy lawn also helps prevent weeds.
Weed control:
Apply a pre-emergent weed killer on lawns to prevent grassy weeds from germinating. Spring broadleaf weeds like dandelions, clovers and plantains, are best prevented by maintaining a proper mowing height and fertilization.
Watering:
This is the most important element to your lawn. No mater how much grass seed or fertilizer you apply to your lawn, if you do not water your lawn properly, It will NOT grow to be that lush green lawn you always dreamed about. Based on historical records of rainfall, established lawns in New Jersey usually need watering to maintain vigorous growth in the months of June, July and August. In occasional years, watering during the months of May and September may be useful for an established lawn. Watering in May and September should only be done infrequently to compensate for minor drought.
Applying Pre-Emergent Herbicides:
As the name suggests, pre-emergent herbicides address weed control before their seedlings can emerge. Pre-emergent herbicides accomplish this by forming something of a "shield" that inhibits seed germination.
Liming: Besides compaction, the presence of moss plants also signals acidity. Grass plants like a neutral soil pH. You can solve this problem by liming your soil. But don't expect a quick fix: the effects of liming are slow to take place.
De-Thatching:
As a general rule of thumb, up to a ½” of thatch is good. Remember, thatch can be good for lawns, especially during times of drought, water restrictions, and high heat, when it can act like insulation for the soil by providing a screen from sun light and help to hold in moisture. Conversely, thatch that accumulates in excess of ½” can actually work as a disadvantage to your lawn by creating too much buffer between the soil and the grass, thereby preventing sufficient amounts of water, air, and nutrients (fertilizers) to reach the soil. Excess thatch can also encourage the proliferation of pests such a chinch bugs, insects, and various lawn diseases and fungi. While dethatching can be performed at any time, we recommend that it be done prior to the start of the season so that all applications of fertilizer will be more effective.