Spring has arrived and our lawns are starting to wake up after a long winter’s nap. Your grass has been dormant for many months and is in need of some serious T.L.C. before it will look like the lawn you’ve been dreaming of!
If you want healthy, lush, weed-free grass this year then follow these helpful tips:
STEP ONE: CLEAN UP
You may have raked up all the leaves last Fall but raking is the first thing your lawn needs in the early Spring to give it some air and encourage new growth. Now is the time to rake up all the leaves, branches and twigs that have appeared over the winter. And rake thoroughly! This is another opportunity to pull up “thatch” (dead grass) to ensure your lawn can soak up the Spring rain, sunlight and all the great nutrients you’re about to feed it. Don’t be too aggressive though, because you don’t want to tear into the roots of the grass. Just a nice firm rake to remove the debris and any dead grass.
TIP: Don’t SPRING into garden clean up too soon…Many butterflies, bees and other pollinators are currently wintering in dead leaves and hollowed out stems of last years plants. Let them BEE until temperatures are consistently above 10 degrees C.
STEP TWO: GREEN, THICKEN & PREVENT WEEDS
Once the ground has warmed up it’s time to promote strong grass roots and ensure an early green-up with lawn food. A great product to do just that is Scotts Turf Builder GreenMax because it contains a 5% iron charge which means you can give you a quick and deep green in as little as three days.
If you have weeds present from last year, apply a weed preventing product like Scotts Turf Builder Weed & Feed. Although this won’t kill any weeds already present, it will help prevent new weeds from popping up on bare spots that have formed during winter. Remember, if there is a weed present it likely means there are more waiting to pop up soon.
EXPERT TIP: Timing is important! Be sure you follow the directions on the labels of these products as they contain important information on the best times to apply lawn food and weed prevent, how to apply it and the spreader rate to ensure success!
STEP THREE: MOWING THE LAWN
Before your lawn requires its first cut be sure that your mower is in good working order with fresh oil, spark plug and a sharp blade. You want to avoid cutting the grass too short especially the first few times because it makes your lawn at greater risk of weeds and pests. So have the mower’s blade at the highest setting. The saying goes, "A healthy lawn’s roots are as deep as the grass is long!” The longer the grass the more it’s able to hold in the moisture, protect it from the sun and allow it to hold on to any nutrients you feed it.
STEP FOUR: FIX BARE PATCHES
In later Spring your focus will move from helping your lawn to recover to thickening your lawn. Once the day time temperatures are between 15 to 26 degrees Celsius you can tend to any bare spots on your yard. A great product for this is Scotts EZ Seed Patch & Repair because it contains mulch mixture that will help it hold on to the moisture. Water it every day for at least a week, and ideally until it reaches a mow-able height (1 1/2 to 2 inches).
STEP FIVE: OVERSEED TO THICKEN
Overseeding does three things: thickens up your lawn which helps crowd out weeds, cycles dead grass with new healthy grass and makes your lawn look wonderful.
Timing is crucial on this one. You want to make sure that the average daytime temperature is at least 15˚C. Your seeds need some warmth to germinate and can’t do so if it’s too cold. Getting into this task too early can really limit your chances of success. After you’ve applied, make sure you lightly rake the seed into your soil. Ensuring the new seeds have contact with your soil will help you get the results you’re looking for!
PRO TIP: Adding a layer of Scotts Turf Builder Enriched Lawn soil before applying your grass seed will increase your chances of success. It gives your new seeds some loose, nutrient-rich soil to latch onto and feed off of.
STEP SIX: CONTROL YOUR WEEDS
After all your hard work there’s nothing more disheartening than seeing that patch of dandelions and knowing there will likely be more popping up soon. Lawn weeds can be unsightly, but even more important – they pull moisture and nutrients away from your grass. Pulling weeds the old-fashioned way can be effective. But it can also be time-consuming, back-breaking and stress-inducing.
Using a weed control product like Scotts Weed B Gon Max Lawn Weed Control is quick & easy to apply and you can start seeing results in as little as hours. The affected weeds will begin to shrivel up and turn black. You aren’t done yet - spot treat those weeds again every week for 3-4 weeks to ensure they’re dead. If you only go after them once, the weed could potentially regenerate.
STEP SEVEN: ELIMINATE GRUBS
Your grass should be lush and green after all this hard work but there’s one more thing you need to look for. Grubs! They are those pesky, white, ravenous beetle larvae that love to snack on your grass roots. It’s especially important from late April to late May to control over wintering grubs that are coming to the surface. There are a few ways to eliminate grubs including Scotts Grub B Gone.
STEP EIGHT: ADD YOUR FINISHING TOUCHES
You’re almost done! Now it’s time to clean things up.
Try edging your lawn and gardens and add mulch to garden beds and walkways. Did you know that mulch helps block out weeds and holds in moisture? Plus it visually adds a nice finishing look to your gardens. The ideal amount to spread is three inches. There’s a reason that mulch is considered the gardener’s friend!
If you take these steps then your hard work will surely pay off and you will be the envy of the neighbourhood with the greenest, lushest, healthiest lawn around!
Here is a handy Lawn Maintenance Checklist showing all of these important steps so that you can have the greenest, lushest, healthiest lawn around!
Sincerely, Roger