Spring is finally here and the lawn care experts at Swingle want to share 5 spring lawn care tips to get your lawn looking great for the warm weather ahead.
If you didn’t 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 (do NOT activate the sprinkler system). 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.
Start the season with a relatively quick-release form of nitrogen in a “balanced” form of fertilizer to get the grass growing more quickly. This allows the grass to get a head start on weeds, which typically cover bare soil.
You should start fertilizing your lawn in spring, followed by early summer, late summer, and fall. Weeds are best controlled in mid-spring, late spring, and fall when weeds are growing at the quickest rates.
This might surprise you but water when the lawn needs it, not on a set schedule. Of course, we are busy with everyday life so we set the irrigation clocks to activate or go on every 2 or 3 days. Proper watering requires paying CLOSER attention to the weather during the wetter months of the growing season.
You will actually need to go out and test the soil for moisture, utilize a rain-gauge, or just know what to look for. A VERY GENERAL recommendation is to water bluegrass lawns about 1 inch of water per week when it is hot and/or dry. One way to reduce over-watering your lawn is to set your system clock on “manual” and try to fine-tune the settings. It’s important to get to know your lawn and try to water the lawn when it needs it. That is, water the lawn when it is close to the “wilting point.”
It is usually neglect or really poor cultural practices that contribute to weedy lawns. The best way to avoid having to use chemical weed control is to have a thick, lush, vigorously growing lawn.
By using wise mowing and watering habits it’s less likely weeds will germinate in the first place. Proper cutting heights, limited “weed eater” usage along walks, and winter watering cut down on bare soils that weed seeds need to germinate.
Your landscape will appreciate soil that is ALIVE with beneficial microbes. Healthy soils = healthy root systems which in turn = healthy plants, trees, shrubs and grass.
One way to provide nutrients to the soil microbes is by using an Organic-based fertilizer. Another way is by removing the mowers bagging feature which allows you to recycle the nutrients back into the soil.
Still in need of help after reading these 5 spring lawn care tips? Schedule a free spring property evaluation with Swingle.
