Spring Lawn Care

Have you ever noticed that when spring arrives and the temperatures warm up, suddenly neighbors you haven't seen all winter long come rushing out of their homes almost as if the gates just opened?

They're all anxious to get their lawns in shape. They're seeding, weeding, fertilizing, power-raking, aerating, blowing, trimming, and, of course, mowing. Sometimes, they're doing it all in one day—not a good idea.

Figure A

There are some definite dos and don'ts when it comes to spring lawn care. Before you get started, make a couple of decisions. First of all, do you want to control the crabgrass or do you want to lay down new lawn seed? You can't do both. The crabgrass controller (figure A) will actually prevent the lawn seed from germinating.

So, let's say you have crabgrass in your yard and you want to keep it from spreading. You need to attack it early in the spring before it gets out of control. You can use a crabgrass preventative or, for an organic alternative, try corn gluten. Whatever you choose, use a spreader to apply it evenly. The best time to do this is when the daffodils are blooming. Spring rains will help activate the ingredients.

Figure B

How to Do It
Whether you decide to start a new lawn or patch an old one, you need to begin by loosening up the soil. Just use a rake then you're ready for the seed. Make sure to use top quality seed. Buy the seed in bulk to save some money or, if you have a little more cash in your budget, opt for lawn patch that consists of seed mixed with shredded newspaper. Apply a thin layer of the lawn patch (figure B), making sure you cover up all the open spaces, and then water thoroughly.

Whether you use lawn patch or the seed, it's very important that you keep it moist at all times until the seed germinates, which in some cases may take up to three weeks. Also, you don't want to mow the grass until it reaches a height of four inches.

Then, before taking the lawn mower to the turf, it's important to get it cleaned up and ready for the season.

Mower Maintenance
Note: Take appropriate safety precautions when working with your lawn mower. Before beginning, disconnect the power cord (on electric mowers) or drain the gas tank and disconnect the spark plug wire (on gas mowers).

Figure C

Mower maintenance is important (figure C). After draining your gas tank and disconnecting the sparkplug (gas-powered mowers) or disconnecting the power source (electric mowers), flip the mower over and give the underside a good spring cleaning. In some cases, you may have to pull out a chisel to remove some of the junk. It's also a good idea to keep your blade sharpened. In fact, three sharpening sessions per season should do the trick. Otherwise, your grass will get split ends.

When you do mow, don't cut off more than a third of the grass at a time and keep the height at about two and a half to three inches. Also, change your mowing pattern to help prevent soil compaction, which inhibits the growth of grass.

Figure D

Watering and Weed Control
Watering is also an important in spring lawn care (figure D). It's much better to give your lawn a deep soaking once a week, rather than a light sprinkling three to four times a week. Watering early in the morning is best, and keep in mind most lawns need about one inch of water a week.

Spring is also the time to go on weed patrol. If you don't like to use herbicides, try to find tools that might help get to the root of the problem. A weed hound usually does the trick.

Caring for Grass
The biggest mistake people make with their grass is fertilizing it to death—literally. The best time to feed your lawn is in the fall. Give it two applications then. The only reason to fertilize in the spring is if you missed the fall application. Don't worry if you think your lawn's not getting fed enough. Every time you mow your grass, if you leave the clippings on, you're giving it free nitrogen and that's the best organic fertilizer you can use.

There are some definite don'ts when it comes to spring lawn care. Don't aerate as it can damage the soil because the soil is just too moist in the spring. Plus, aeration opens up areas for weed seeds to germinate. Also, forget about power-raking or de-thatching. They're both just too hard on the new, sensitive spring roots. Finally, in the early spring, when your soil is still soggy, try to keep your kids and/or pets from playing on the emerging grass. Don't drag your wheelbarrow across it either. Hopefully, these tips will make your neighbors green with envy. Also in this Episode

Rebecca's Garden : Episode REB-730
•	Cheer Up Your Garden With Hearty Sunflowers
•	Classroom Garden
•	Spring Lawn Care
•	Planting a Retaining Wall