Spring is a time of rejuvenation and your lawn is probably proof of that. For many of us in the south, it's about the only time of year where our lawns look their best. Summer heat and less rain may soon start taking their toll.
However, with careful analysis and planning, you can enjoy a lush, healthy lawn all summer long.
Here are some helpful tips to take now to prepare your lawn for summer:
1. Test the soil. Home testing kits are available at various hardware and home improvement stores. Testing tells you several things about the health of your lawn, such as its pH level. Knowing this will help you determine the extent to which fertilization or other treatments are necessary.
2. Aerate if the lawn wasn’t aerated in the fall. Experts may differ on when aeration is recommended, but the intent is clear: to penetrate the ‘thatch’ over the soil and allow for proper levels of oxygen and water to reach the roots.
3. Be mindful and practice fertilization and weed control carefully. Weed control chemicals are very narrow in their application spectrum. It's important to remember they are poisons that you’ll want to keep to a minimum. For fertilizing, you want to make sure you add just enough to properly nourish your lawn without allowing runoff.
4. Seed bare patches. Do this as soon as growth has started. The best time is while the soil is moist and soft, but not saturated. Hardware and home stores usually carry a wide variety of seed types. It's also a good idea to choose the seeds best suited for your specific environment. This includes factors such as full sun vs. shade, and moisture level, etc. Ask for help from an expert to get the right seed for your specific needs.
5. Tune-up your mower and sharpen the blade. A dull mower blade rips the tops off the grass rather than cutting it cleanly, which causes unnecessary damage to your lawn. A well-tuned and maintained mower performs its job efficiently and lasts longer too!
6. Be careful to time the first mowing of the season by testing the height of the grass. You don’t want the mowing deck so low you end up “scalping” the grass down to the soil. Set the mowing height low to remove dead tops from the grass. Also, make sure you avoid seeded areas to allow them to become more established before cutting.
Following these easy tips give your lawn a great chance to emerge, grow and thrive in the in hot, dry months ahead. There's nothing much better than a lush carpet of grass for fun in the sun and family activities in the yard during the summer months!
Related Resource
Better Lawn-Care.com Spring Lawn Care