Recipe for A Beautiful Lawn

By Jos Van Hage

 Lawns make up a large portion of many landscapes and so by doing some
spring cleanup on your lawn now; you can have a healthy, good looking lawn
for the summer which in turn will make everything else in the yard look even
better. As soon as all the snow has melted and the lawn is dry you can rake
the lawn removing any old grass, twigs, leaves and other winter debris. If
the soil has become compact you should aerate the lawn. Aeration is
perforating the soil with tiny holes which will help air, water, and
fertilizer get to the roots of the grass more easily and also help prevent
moss and algae from forming. If you have a small area that needs to be done
you could use a pitchfork but if the job is too big for a pitchfork there
are aerators available for renting. Make sure that before using any rented
or borrowed equipment you have it cleaned properly so that you get no
unwanted diseases in your lawn. To make aerating easier make sure that the
soil is slightly damp as this will make it easier for the fork or device to
slide into the soil.
Thatch can be a problem in the lawn if it becomes too thick. Thatch is a
dense mat of grass clippings, roots and other debris that accumulate at the
base of the soil after a period of time. A little bit of thatch is good is
it helps prevent the lawn from drying out too quickly but if it becomes too
thick, more than ½ an inch it should be removed as it prevents water, and
fertilizer from reaching the grass roots. You want to de-thatch the lawn in
the spring just before the lawn has its most vigorous growth. To de-thatch
the lawn is easy as you can remove the regular blade from the lawnmower and
replace it with a de-thatch blade and go over the lawn once. After you have
de-thatched the lawn you take off the de=thatch blade and put the regular
blade back on. Rake up all the old thatch and put it in the compost pile.
Sometimes there is some winter kill in the lawn and this can be repaired
now. Loosen the soil with a rake or top dress it with some good quality
topsoil or sand so that you can sprinkle grass seed on it. Try to match the
new grass seed with the existing grass already growing in the lawn. To get
the seed to sprout keep it evenly moist until it sprouts.
This is also the time of year to do a pH test and see if you need to add
lime to your soil. If the pH level is below 6.5 you should apply lime to the
soil. A low pH could result in moss in the lawn. Doloprill lime is the best
lime to use as it is fast acting and easy to apply. Fertilizing the lawn is
done when you see that the grass is beginning to green because then you know
the grass is actively growing and able to pick up the nutrients. Fertilize
first with 13-5-7 which has 25% slow release fertilizer and some added iron,
or 13-16 10 which is a fast acting fertilizer. Both of these fertilizers are
well balanced which is important for a healthy lawn. Later on in the season
(3-4 weeks) you can use 24-6-12 higher in nitrogen which gets lots of green.

 

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