Now that our lawns are starting to really green up it is time to get some of those spring lawn tasks crossed off the list. A little bit of extra attention in the spring can help give you the perfect green barefoot ready lawn this summer. The first step is to do any raking of your lawn. A gentle raking removes leaves and any other junk winter left behind. Raking also lifts up matted grass allowing water and sun to better reach the soil.
Once raking is done it is time to move on to other tasks. Damage by voles, dog urine spots and other bare or thin areas may require reseeding. See can be applied any time and will germinate once the soil temperatures are warm enough. Be sure to rough up the soil with a rake to ensure good contact between the seed and soil. For this and other lawn seeding tips see our Lawn Seeding blog post.
Finally, a spring fertilizer application can really do wonders for your lawn. Remember that even one fertilizer application per year can help improve your lawn enough to reduce run-off and thicken grass which helps reduce weeds. Sargent’s recommends Bonide Phase 1 Crabgrass & Weed Preventer as the first spring fertilizer. It can typically be applied now through early May to green up the grass and prevent annual weeds and crabgrass from sprouting.
Remember, any raking done after a crabgrass preventer is applied will greatly reduce the effectiveness of the product in those areas. Also note, lawn seeding cannot be done along with the application of a regular fertilizer and crabgrass preventer. Crabgrass preventer keeps the crabgrass seeds from sprouting which means the grass seeds will also not grow. It is possible to do both however you must a specialty product, Step 1 for Seeding, that allows the lawn grass, but not the crabgrass to grow.
Sargent’s staff can help you find the right products for your situation and make sure you don’t go home with too little product for the job. We carry lawn fertilizers, grass seed, and everything else you need for those spring yard projects.