Spring Lawn Care

Our first glimpse of warm weather after months of nothing but frost usually starts early in March, and with that, many homeowners are tempted to fertilize and seed lawns during that brief period of warmth.

However, it should be noted that March is much too early for Spring Lawn care or to either fertilize or control weeds in the lawn.

That’s because cold weather often returns some time after and spring lawn care practices would have to be put on hold until the first “real” warm weather shows itself.

Fertilizing

For best results in spring lawn care, do it after April 1. Fertilizing lawns while the season has yet to change from late winter to early spring is not normally beneficial to the turf grass plants.

They will remain oblivious to any spring lawn care treatment you apply as the ground is much too cold for any real growth to occur.

On the other hand, early fertilization can encourage lush growth during periods when cold temperature stress can still occur. The key, therefore, is to achieve a balance between these two periods so that your spring lawn care practices will not be for naught.

For spring lawn care, select fertilizers that contain slow release nitrogen sources. These will be listed on the fertilizer bag as IBDU, sulfur coated urea, triazone, methylene urea, or as a natural organic fertilizer.

Your fertilizer applications should not exceed more than 1 pound of actual nitrogen per 1,000 square feet. For instance, if you want to apply 1 pound of actual nitrogen, then add 5 pounds of a 20-5-10 fertilizer.

When fertilizing, don’t forget to scrape off any fertilizer that was applied to sidewalks or driveways. Fertilizers have a tendency to run very rapidly on smooth surfaces, as opposed to turf grass areas where the runoff is only minimal.

When fertilizers run, there is only one place they end up in – ground water. So avoid this malady by removing any fertilizer spillage on driveways. This is an important spring lawn care practice that can help protect our water resources.

Seeding

Spring lawn care in the form of seeding is also possible if done properly. There are a few things you need to consider, first of which is to make sure that the site is evaluated to determine the need for soil amendments.

As part of your spring lawn care practice, conduct a soil test and incorporate the needed soil amendments according to the test result.

Next, grade the site. What’s more, it should be graded in such a way as to allow it to slope away from buildings.

Leaving depressions in the lawn will only create future problems. It is best if you take care of this problem now with this helpful spring lawn care hint.

After grading the site, it is now time for you to select the right seed. The extent of your spring lawn care practice here depends on what you plan to do with your lawn.

Did you mean to have Spring Lawn Care put up for show? If yes, then select a seed mix containing improved varieties of Kentucky bluegrass.