what the first lawn treatment for spring

Early Spring

• Tune up your mower. . Change the oil, air filter and spark plug. Once you’re done high-fiving yourself, clean the top...
• Clean up. . Walk around and pick up twigs, branches, and any trash that winter (or the kids) tossed onto your lawn.
• Repair bare spots. . Look for bald spots. ... Cover them with a grass toupée — A.K.A. Scotts® Bare Spot Repair products.

Full Answer

What is involved in spring lawn care?

For lawns in the North, tamp down on crabgrass early with a pre-emergent weed killer like Scotts® Turf Builder® Halts® Crabgrass Preventer with Lawn Food. However, if you’ve recently seeded or are planning to use grass seed in the spring, use Scotts® Turf Builder® Triple Action Built for Seeding instead. It prevents crabgrass and other listed weeds for up to 6 weeks but won't …

What are the best tips for spring lawn care?

Mar 18, 2022 · 8 Spring Tasks to Foster a Great Lawn Rake Deeply. Raking is the first thing you need to do to prepare your lawn for new growth. You may still have a few... Aerate if Necessary. If your lawn gets heavy traffic, such as lots of running and playing in the same spot, this can... Assess the Soil. Moss ...

When is the best time of year to treat your lawn?

Mar 31, 2020 · Spring lawn care tips for the do-it yourselfers. Raking away debris and dead grass. Upon first sight in the spring, many lawns look less than perfect. Your lawn may have damage from snow mold, pets ... Crabgrass preemergence applications. Early season fertilizer applications. Rolling lawns.

Is your lawn ready for spring lawn care?

Mar 10, 2022 · Pre-emergent herbicides are a combination of fertilizer and crabgrass control herbicide applied in the early spring. This combination product does not have a full feeding of fertilizer. This small dose of fertilizer slightly boosts grass growth and keeps it alive, while the herbicide in the product restricts crabgrass seedling development.

What's the first thing you do to your lawn in the spring?

What is the first fertilizer to put down in the spring?

What is the first treatment for your lawn?

How do I prepare my lawn for early spring?

What type of lawn fertilizer should I use in the spring?

What comes first fertilizer or grass seed?

Should you rake your lawn in spring?

When should I start treating my lawn?

When should you aerate in spring?

What should I do to my lawn in March?

Does raking help grass?

When should you first mow in the spring?

What should I do when my lawn is ready for new growth?

Raking is the first thing you need to do when getting your lawn ready for new growth. You probably think, "But my trees had no leaves falling for months. Why should I rake?" Raking does more than just remove tree leaves, however. Even if you did a phenomenal job of raking leaves in the fall, you still have to contend with thatch .

When should I fertilize my lawn?

However, many experts recommend a lighter feeding in spring and a heavier one in late fall for cool-season grasses. Too much fertilizer in spring can lead to disease and weed problems. And, if you fertilized in late fall, then your lawn still has fertilizer to feed on in spring. The Spruce / David Karoki.

Why is aerating the lawn in spring not recommended?

Generally, though, spring aerating is discouraged because the aeration holes provide a perfect spot for weed seeds to germinate. Lawn weeds (especially crabgrass) are the first seeds to germinate in the spring, and aerating the lawn stirs them up and gives them an ideal home.

What does spring mean on a lawn mower?

Spring also means it's time to get out the lawn mower and give it a once over. Start it up; stubborn start-ups are a sign that it might be due for a tune-up. Give your mower a tune-up once a year. In three easy steps, you can get your mower back in tip-top shape.

What to do if your lawn mower needs a tune up?

If your lawnmower needs more than a tune-up, then consider getting a new one . Among the key tune-up tasks is sharpening the mower blade. A regular sharpening will ensure the blade severs, rather than tears, the grass plants, leading to a nice green lawn rather than one with ragged brown tips.

Why is my lawn getting compacted?

If your lawn gets heavy traffic, such as lots of running and playing in the same spot, this can cause soil compaction. If you see moss, which thrives on compacted soil, you can get rid of it, but you need to look deeper into its root cause. In this case, it's usually compacted soil that needs aeration .

What to do when your lawn is bare?

Overseeding is the process of sowing seed over existing grass. Apply a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer (starter fertilizer) when you overseed.

What to do with lawn in spring?

Part of spring lawn care involves clearing away the ravages of winter. Equipped with your rake and pruning shears, take an exploratory stroll around the property. Look closely for any plants that didn’t survive. Prune damaged or dead branches from trees and bushes, and remove twigs or leaves you find lingering on the grass.

How to dethatch dead grass?

Dethatch the lawn by giving it a good once-over, using either a lawn rake with stiff tines or a special dethatching rake ( view on Amazon ).

How does aeration affect grass roots?

In high-traffic areas, the soil beneath grass gradually becomes compacted and inhospitable to grass roots. Aeration reverses the damage done. Here, using a specialized tool ( view on Amazon ), wine cork-size plugs are drawn out of the lawn surface, giving roots room to spread and allowing air, nutrients, and moisture to penetrate the soil.

Is it important to cut corners in spring?

All are important. Remember that cutting corners now could mean that at the peak of summer, you’ll be spending your weekends making up for spring lawn care oversights. In other words, it’s in your best interest to act now.

What is the best time to take care of a lawn in spring?

Early spring lawn care ensures a fresh-looking, healthy lawn for the summer months and a lush and green lawn you can enjoy during the nice weather. As the growing season begins, your grass will be in prime condition to thrive come spring – if taken care of properly with correct spring lawn maintenance. When it comes to early spring lawn care, you ...

When is the best time to treat lawns?

Spring is the best time of year to treat your lawn with pre-emergent weed control. Pre-emergent is designed for application before the targeted weed germinates in your lawn, and it is an effective preventative method for controlling annual grassy weeds. While you can do some weed control on your own, professional lawn care services can help prevent crabgrass and other grassy weeds. Bed weed maintenance is another weed prevention method that can help get your lawn in shape. Your local Lawn Doctor expert will know which weeds are a problem in your area.

What is grass cycle?

Grass-cycling is the process of leaving grass clippings on the lawn. Instead of bagging the clippings, let them spread out on your lawn to recycle grass elements back into the soil and to help your lawn retain more water. This process can help give your yard a boost at the beginning of the spring season.

Why is it important to aerate your lawn?

After sitting with heavy snow all winter, or if there are spots of heavy traffic on your grass, it is important to aerate your lawn. Your soil can become compact under the grass, especially if there was heavy snow, or heavy traffic on your grass throughout the winter. Aeration opens up the turf and allows water and air to get into the soil, and roots of your grass. This is not always required, but you should always evaluate your lawn to ensure there are no compacted areas.

Why is my lawn dead in the winter?

Proper lawn disease prevention can rejuvenate your yard. Our Lawn Maintainer Care program will help prevent lawn disease and lawn pests throughout the year.

Why choose a lawn doctor?

Why Choose Lawn Doctor? Spring is the time to get your lawn in optimal shape and ready for the summer season. Early spring lawn care ensures a fresh-looking, healthy lawn for the summer months and a lush and green lawn you can enjoy during the nice weather.

Why is spring the best time to care for lawns?

That could be a sign of lawn disease. That’s why spring is the perfect time to focus on preventing lawn disease and keeping your grass healthy. Proper lawn disease prevention can rejuvenate your yard. Our Lawn Maintainer Care program will help prevent lawn disease and lawn pests throughout the year.

How do I regrowth a lawn?

To facilitate quicker regrowth, lightly rake the turf with a leaf rake , not a garden rake. Raking will remove some of the dead, blighted leaf blades and facilitate turfgrass recovery as temperatures warm. I wouldn’t worry about raking the entire lawn, just focus on the areas with the most damage.

How long should I wait to apply crabgrass preemergence herbicide?

You don’t have to apply the first day the model indicates optimum. In most years, we stay in the optimum application window for at least a couple weeks, if not longer. There’s a good chance many of you don’t have crabgrass preemergence herbicide on hand; I wouldn’t worry about it too much right now, as you still have options. Herbicides that contain the active ingredient dithiopyr (Dimension) are effective up to the two-leaf stage of crabgrass, which even this year probably wouldn’t occur until early May. Maybe this is the year you don’t apply a crabgrass preemergence herbicide, so look at it this way: you’ll see how much crabgrass invades your lawn. You may find if you have a dense, healthy lawn that you don’t have much crabgrass invasion at all.

What temperature does crabgrass need to germinate?

Eighty percent of germination will occur when the 0- to 2-inch depth soil temperature is consistently reaching 60-70 degrees Fahrenheit.

Can rolling lawns cause soil compaction?

Be careful rolling lawns. Following the recent rains, many areas are still very wet and rolling might actually do more damage than good. Rolling saturated soils can result in soil compaction. Rolling is popular this time of year to flatten out mole tunnels and lumps and bumps from frost heaving during winter, but it’s better to wait until the soils dry then to do it now and risk making a problem worse.

Can snow mold damage lawns?

Upon first sight in the spring, many lawns look less than perfect. Your lawn may have damage from snow mold, pets or pesky critters like voles and moles. I haven’t observed too much snow mold this spring, which isn’t surprising considering the relatively late arriving and short winter, but there’s still the normal matting of turf in areas where snow was piled. If you’re like me and have multiple dogs in your household who tend to frequent the same lawn area all winter long, then you’re also dealing with additional localized pet urine damage.

Can you fertilize crabgrass with preemergence?

Many early season fertilizer applications are made in combination with crabgrass preemergence herbicides. If you have fertilizer on hand and are thinking of making an application, wait until the turf has fully greened-up and grown enough that mowing is necessary. Soils are still very cold and until they warm, the turfgrass is not going to be actively growing nor taking up nutrients.

What is the best fertilizer for lawns?

Traditional chemical lawn fertilizer remains the most popular choice and is widely available at hardware stores, big-box home improvement centers, and garden shops. These fertilizers come in many varieties. Some fertilizers match the season, such as early-season fertilizers, mid-summer fertilizers, and late-season "turf-builder" mixes. Other fertilizers are better suited for flowers or vegetables. Another category contains herbicides, which feeds the grass, kills weeds, and prevents weed growth.

When is the best time to fertilize?

Determining the Best Times to Fertilize. Homeowners who prefer organic fertilizing methods might do a single "turf-builder" application in the early fall to build root systems. In the spring and summer, most may omit all fertilizers and rely on the nitrogen from mulched grass clippings to feed their lawn.

What is a pre-emergence herbicide?

Pre-emergent herbicides are a combination of fertilizer and crabgrass control herbicide applied in the early spring. This combination product does not have a full feeding of fertilizer.

Why is my lawn dark green?

A lawn that is a deep, almost blackish green, has been very heavily fertilized. The dark green color comes from a lot of nitrogen-based fertilizer used on the lawn. It is highly likely that some of that fertilizer has run off into the streets, storm sewers, and has made its way into local streams and rivers.

Can you feed your lawn organically?

There are a few organic methods of feeding a lawn safely. You can choose to use a mulching mower that chops up grass into fine particles that then break down on the lawn. Horticultural experts say that throughout the season, this technique provides a lawn with as much nitrogen as one complete application of lawn fertilizer. 2  You can also use organic fertilizers made from natural materials instead of refined chemicals. Organic-labeled fertilizers will indeed feed your lawn, though they are usually less saturated with the essential nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) than the industrially refined fertilizers.

Do you need to water your lawn before a storm?

If not, when you apply the fertilizer, you will need to supply your lawn with at least a quarter-inch of water. However, do not apply fertilizer before a massive storm. A rainstorm increases the risk of fertilizer nutrients flowing into storm ​drains and streams. 3.

Can you return your lawn to the green of summer?

You are not looking to return your lawn to the green of summer. Heading into winter, you can expect a natural slowdown of your lawn's growth and the loss of its green luster. Article Sources. The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles.

How to repair bare spots in lawn?

Repair bare spots in both cool- and warm-season turf using Scotts® Bare Spot Repair Products . Timing is crucial for success: Aim for an early spring sowing for cool-season grass and a late spring sowing for warm-season grass. If your lawn is worn and thin, thicken it by overseeding. In the north, overseed with Scotts® Turf Builder® Thick’R Lawn™ , a product specially designed for thickening up thin lawns that combines grass seed, fertilizer, and a soil improver into an easy-to-use product that is applied with a Scotts® spreader. In the south, use the appropriate Scotts® Turf Builder® Grass Seed product for your grass type, and get your new grass off to a good start by using Scotts® Turf Builder® Starter® Food for New Grass.

How to prevent snow mold on grass?

In areas with falling leaves, a shorter lawn prevents leaves from matting down the grass. In snow-prone regions, a final fall mowing on the short side helps prevent snow mold on grass come spring .

How to cut grass at the highest level?

2. Mow High. Double-check your mower deck height, and position it to cut grass at the highest possible setting for your grass type. Cutting high encourages grass plants to grow thicker with deeper roots, which creates a lawn of healthy grass that will help to crowd out weeds. 3.

How to get deep roots in grass?

Gorgeous summer lawns start with long, deep, healthy roots that snake through soil to find moisture. The surest way to encourage deep roots is by mowing high —as high as you can for your type of grass. Sharpen mower blades at least once a season to ensure a clean cut on individual blades of grass, which helps reduce moisture loss.

How to keep grass green and healthy?

3. Water. To keep grass green, healthy, and growing, provide at least 1 inch of water per week, either through irrigation or rainfall. Time irrigation for early morning (between 6 and 10 a.m.) to minimize water loss to evaporation. 4.

Can you use ice melt on lawns?

Choose ice melt products that are designed to be used around the lawn. Rock salt (sodium chloride) can damage plant roots when used excessively.

Dethatching

Soil Testing

Yard Cleanup

• Part of spring lawn care involves clearing away the ravages of winter. Equipped with your rakeand pruning shears, take an exploratory stroll around the property. Look closely for any plants that didn’t survive. Prune damaged or dead branches from trees and bushes, and remove twigs or leaves you find lingering on the grass.

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Aeration

Weed Treatment

Seeding

Equipment Maintenance