Spring is a great time to start caring for your lawn!
A well established healthy lawn requires less water, care, and maintenance during the summer. If your lawn is hard and compact aerating the lawn loosens the soil and allows for new roots to grow. The following is a list of a few things that you can do now to help ensure that you lawn is healthy and strong:
Starting a New Lawn
If you are starting a new lawn it is recommended that there is at least six inches of soil. So be sure to till the soil to an even depth to allow for the roots of the grass to develop. Next ensure that the area is level to reduce the possibility of drainage issues in the future. Then you can apply the grass seed or sod to the area and water thoroughly.
If you have an existing lawn you can top dress the lawn by spreading a thin layer of top soil and then apply the grass seed on top. Water thoroughly to ensure that the seed germinates.
Watering your Lawn
Adequate watering ensures that your lawn has an established rook system to cope with the dry summer months. Be sure to water thoroughly and deeply. Watering restrictions come into affect on June 1st and are in effect until September 30th. They are as follows:
- 4 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
- Even-numbered address: Wednesdays and Saturdays
- Odd-numbered address: Thursdays and Sundays
Newly planted lawns need special attention. It is best to keep the soil moist for at least 4 to 6 weeks to ensure that your lawn develops an adequate root system. If you are starting a new lawn in the summer be sure to apply for a permit to water outside of the watering restrictions.
Mowing your Lawn
Lawns should be mowed at regular intervals with a sharp mower at the correct height. Lawns should be cut every 7 to 10 days. A rotary mower should to be set at 2 to 3 inches for the season. You lawn mower should be kept sharp at all times. A dull mower tears the grass instead of cutting it, making it more susceptible to diseases. You should use a catcher, or rake the cut grass to remove the cuttings and prevent the build-up of dead grass. If you do not remove the dead grass you should power rake you lawn on a regular basis to remove the layer of dead grass (thatch) that builds up, this is called de-thatching.
Applying Moss Control
Before your moss goes dormant in the summer heat you should take steps to kill and remove the moss in your lawn. To do this apply either a liquid or granular Moss Control to affected areas. Approximately two days later, use a mechanical power rake to remove the dead black moss. The area should then receive a thin layer of soil or sand followed by an application of grass seed to grow where the moss was.
Moss Out
Fertilizing your Lawn
The beauty of your lawn, its resistance to disease, insects, moss and weeds depends largely on how you feed it. With our heavy rains in the coastal area, much of the mineral content (food or fertilizer) of the soil is washed away each year. Every fertilizer shows the percentage of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potash (N.P.K.) For example 12-4-8 is 12% Nitrogen, 4% Phosphorous and 8% Potash.
- Nitrogen – gives the green to lawns and is the main food a lawn responds to
- Phosphorous – encourages good root growth
- Potash – promotes strong healthy stems
Lawns should be fed at regular intervals. We recommend an application of 28-3-8 in early spring. This will feed your lawn for 10 to 12 weeks. For late spring and summer, we recommend 12-4-8. This feeds your lawn for 6 to 8 weeks. Fertilizing should be done when the grass is dry and should then be watered in thoroughly. To ensure an even application, it is best to use a fertilizer spreader.
When you apply fertilizer you should water your lawn to make sure that the fertilizer make it to the soil and does not remain on the leaves where it could burn them.
Applying Lime to Your Lawn
Lime is an important soil conditioner that helps you lawn absorb fertilizer and deter moss from growing. Lime does not kill moss, but does neutralize the pH of the soil making fertilizer applications more effective. To be effective Dolomite Lime should be applied in spring and again in fall.
Top Dressing Your Lawn
After power raking and/or aerating in the spring, your lawn may appear sparse. Top-dressing is a reliable way of rejuvenating it. You can top-dress your lawn with Peat Moss for sandy soils, peat and sand for clay soils, sand if you have wet soil, or top soil. Top-dressing is best done in March or April. After top-dressing you can also apply a thin layer of lawn seed to help fill in the spaces left by the power rake.
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