Love Your Lawn

Spring Lawn Revitalization and Summer Prep

Spring is the ideal time to begin preparing your lawn for summer use. Turfgrass is a highly resilient plant, but even the healthiest lawn requires some TLC during the transition from winter to the high traffic summer recreation season. The following tips from turfgrass researchers around the U.S. will help get your lawn on track to achieve a lush, resilient lawn without breaking the bank or your back.

IMPROVING DURABILITY FOR INCREASED SUMMER TRAFFIC

If you’re like most homeowners, your lawn will see a significant increase in traffic during the summer months. To improve the durability of your grass, take the following steps this spring:

Start mowing when the lawn needs it. Spring has been slow to come in many regions, but don't wait too long to start mowing your lawn. According to Dr. Cale Bigelow of Purdue University’s turf science program, scalping an overgrown lawn will cause stress, which can affect summer performance.

Mow at the tall end of the mowing height range for your grass species. For most species, this means increasing the mowing height to around 3 inches. Geoffrey Rinehart of the University of Maryland and U.S. National Arboretum says this will improve the lawn’s wear tolerance, as it allows for more leaf tissue to weather the  abrasive and compacting forces of foot traffic and protects the growing point of the plant, which is at the base. Remove lawn clippings initially, and then grass cycle. Bigelow recommends removing grass clippings the first time or two you mow your lawn to prevent them from causing unwanted shading. Once your lawn gets going, consider “grasscycling” – simply leaving the clippings on your lawn.

According to Dr. Grady Miller of North Carolina State University, this not only saves time but can provide up to 25 percent of the lawn’s fertilizer needs. Fertilize correctly. Proper fertilization practices will improve your lawn’s wear tolerance and recuperative capacity, says Rinehart. You should feed your lawn at least twice per year (mid-May and mid-September work well in most areas), and the spring application should be sparing and should feature slow-release nitrogen fertilizer to minimize excess growth, says Bigelow. Add seed to cool-season grasses. For lawns containing grasses such as tall and fine fescues and ryegrasses, Rinehart suggests interseeding, also known as overseeding, to encourage density and help repair worn areas.

INTERSEEDING FOR A DENSE, HEALTHY LAWN

Interseeding regularly – in early spring and early fall—is a great way to fill in weak or worn spots and help keep your lawn vigorous, says Rinehart. For best results, follow these steps:

Step 1: Rake

Rake the lawn to remove dead grass and any other accumulated debris. Raking helps reveal thin areas, and it also improves soil contact when seeding.

Step 2: Aerify

To further increase soil contact with seeds and overcome winter soil compaction, aerate your lawn with a core aerator (or hire a professional to do it for you). An aerator's hollow tines pull up small plugs of soil, allowing increased movement of water, nutrients and oxygen into the soil, promoting new growth.

Step 3: Interseed

Apply a high-quality seed that is appropriate for your lawn’s geographic area, soil conditions and use patterns.

Step 4: Water

Water lightly but regularly to keep the reseeded areas damp during establishment. Dr. John Stier of the University of Tennessee recommends irrigating at least once a day for two to three weeks or until the turfgrass has uniformly germinated.

SELECTING GRASS SEED

When selecting seed, Bigelow warns consumers not to automatically jump to the lowest price.

Look at the seed labels to select the right blend for your planting site conditions. For example, if you irrigate your lawn during the summer and you have a sunny lot, Dr. Alec Kowalewski of Oregon State University recommends looking for a seed blend with a high concentration of perennial ryegrass.

Irrigated but shady lawns will do better with fine fescues. If you do not plan to irrigate, use tall fescue. A seed label can also provide much more information beyond seed species.