Since the spring has been so wet, you may not have evaluated your lawn for winter damage.  Now is a good time to check how your lawn is doing and set it up for success as we transition to summer. 

Assessment 

The first step to working on your lawn is to assess it.  See if you have areas with thin or bare grass, patches of dead grass, or signs of disease or pest damage.  You can use aerial images like Google Earth to make notes of your property to scale. 

Clean-up 

Pick up any debris on the lawn, such as branches, leaves, or dead grass.  You may have to pick up after some of these strong spring storms, too.  Raking your lawn with a leaf rake can help loosen matted grass so the air can circulate around it.  This will help prevent fungus from growing.  You can also use a verticutter if you have a lot of thatch to help loosen it up and rake out the dead areas to allow new areas to grow. 

Overseeding 

If you noted thin or dead patches of grass during your lawn assessment, you can overseed those places now.  Do not try to seed any area where pre-emergent or “weed and feed” products have been applied in the last six months, as the herbicide will kill the germinating grass seeds. 

Use a quality grass seed mix that matches the grass growing in your lawn now.  It is a good idea to find one with some rye in it because that will grow quickly but will die off in a few months, letting the remaining grass take over.  We often mix our seed with some compost in a wheelbarrow before spreading it.  Doing this ensures good soil-to-seed contact.   You will have to water your overseeded area daily until the grass grows as tall as the other parts of the lawn.  If the seeds dry out once they start germinating, they will not grow. 

Shady Turf Areas 

Growing grass in shady areas can be a real challenge.  We recommend not putting pre-emergent in these areas so you can reseed several times.  Most weeds don’t grow well in the shade, so pre-emergent there isn’t very helpful.   Seeding throughout the growing season will give you a better chance of establishing grass and keeping the lawn in the shade.  

 Fertilization 

Most lawns in our area are cool season grass, such as fescue or bluegrass.  For these types we typically fertilize more in fall and early spring and less in the summer when they tend to struggle.  The key to keeping cool season grass looking good throughout the summer is watering regularly and not over stressing with too much fertilizer in the heat of the summer. 

Watering 

The new grass needs to be watered every day to germinate and grow.  Established grass needs to be watered two to four times  a week, depending on rainfall and how hot it is.  Overwatering for long run times especially in the evenin can make your grass susceptible to root rot.  We recommend more frequent watering for shorter run times to keep the lawn looking its best. 

Mowing 

Wait to mow the new grass until the blades are about three to four inches tall.  Set the mower at three inches high to let the grass grow well and fill in the spaces.  This makes it hard for weeds to grow because they cannot out compete the grass. 

Weed Control 

While the new grass is growing in, hand pull or spot treat any weeds that grow.  Treating the whole lawn is probably not needed unless it is in very bad shape.  As mentioned above, do not spread pre-emergent on turf grass growing in deep shade.  Pre-emergents in the early spring and spot-spraying liquid weed control later in the season work best.  Don’t apply pre-emergent in areas that you may need to seed. 

Maintenance 

Monitor your lawn at least weekly to check for signs of stress, disease, or pest problems.  The sooner you see problems, the better because treatments are more effective when the problems are small.  As summer approaches, fungus and grubs are the next thing to watch out for.  Nutgrass is another weed you may see from all the spring rains.  These can all be treated with the right applications.   

Stay Tuned For More Lawn Services 

We are adding services to manage your lawn this year.  Stay tuned for more details.  In the meantime, get $25 off irrigation activation until June 1.  Call the office at (816) 825-2524 to schedule your activation today.