3 steps for your lawn’s spring recovery

The early spring can always be intimidating and frustrating seeing your lawn in its sad, matted down tan state. We have taken the guess work out of that with the 3 step process to get you through the spring and your lawn off to a great start.

Very early spring when ground is still frozen

When your temperatures are above 40 degrees and the blades of the grass have thawed out and are pliable, yet the ground is still frozen, is when you can start this step. If the grass is at all still frozen or brittle, you have to wait. Take a spring rake and lightly rake the lawn, just enough to stand up the grass blades from their matted down position. You are not looking to remove any grass or debris at this time, just create air flow around the blades. By doing this, you will allow air flow around the blades of grass and down to the ground. This will help reduce the chance of snow mold by creating air flow between the blades.

Early spring when ground has thawed.

Test that the ground is not frozen, with a thermometer, stick the probe in the ground, a temperature above 40 is a good start. If you don’t have a thermometer, than use a long spike or snow stake and push it into the ground. If it is not frozen, it should go in at least 3-4 inches, which is the depth of the roots on a healthy lawn. If you do not want to do either of these methods, then look for when the forsythia bush is blooming with its bright yellow flowers and you are ready to move on with the fertilizer. Start by doing a once over with raking the grass and removing any dead grass that comes up and any left over winter debris. As mentioned in the winter article “How is my lawn going to survive this brutal winter”, this would be the time to remove any built up salt near the road and water that area well, this will help flush out the chemicals left behind from the salt.

If you have a well-established lawn:

Apply sharp sand at 2 pounds per 1000 square feet and an organic fertilizer, at the recommended rate on the bag. There are many products on the market that will all work great, such as Milorganite, Ringer or Bay State fertilizers. The sharp sand, this has to be sharp sand, not rounded beach sand, helps penetrate the clay soils and also creates friction and heat which will help kick off the organic fertilizer. Unlike synthetic fertilizers that are water soluble, the organic fertilizers require heat, which we don’t have yet, duh its early spring in the northeast or friction, which the sand helps with. The sand will also assist in working the organic fertilizer into the soil as it settles in.

If your lawn needs some work, bald spots, thin areas or a lot of winter damage:

Start off by hand spreading grass seed over the bald or thin areas of the lawn. Don’t be shy with the grass seed, as this step will pay off. There are all sorts of grass seed out there, but pick one that fits the type of lawn you have and where it is situated. Next apply a quality starter synthetic fertilizer. This will give your lawn the quick jump start it needs to get it on track and up and running. Not only is the starter fertilizer good to use when seeding, but it is a good spring jump start with an appropriate chemical blend.

Mid spring and the grass has begun to grow and green up.

About 3 to 4 weeks after the first fertilizer application you will see the grass begin to grow and green up and night time temps are consistently in the mid 40’s and you have already begun mowing. This is the perfect time to apply our next “3 pronged” application, which will include a crab grass and broad leaf preemergent, organic fertilizer and spray for any weeds. Start by mowing your lawn, so you don’t blow around all the product you are about to put down. Apply the preemergent to the lawn, usually the product will contain Dimension or Barricade in them. Follow the recommended application that is on the product label. Next step is to apply your organic fertilizer, once again, follow the application rate listed on the bags. There are many products on the market that will all work great, such as Milorganite, Ringer or Bay State fertilizers. Next step is to spot treat your weeds in your lawn, by using a pump sprayer, with the proper weed control liquid mixed to specifications. You will walk the lawn in a grid pattern and spray only the weeds. This way we are not putting excessive unnecessary chemicals all over the lawn.

If you follow these three spring routines, your lawn will be off to a great start and ready for summer and its upcoming treatments. Please keep an eye out for our summer maintenance articles.