5 Tips to Prep Your Lawn for Early Spring

Spring is arriving early this year, with many parts of the country experiencing warm temperatures in February. To make sure your lawn is green and ready to greet the world come Springtime, here are 5 tips to help you get your lawn in tip top condition.

#1 Aerate your soil before doing anything else
Winter often compacts the soil, causing poor conditions for growth. It’s important to create holes in the ground with an aerator, which will allow air and moisture to penetrate into the soil and encourage deep root growth.

#2 As your lawn starts to grow, it’s time to fertilize
As a rule of thumb, only start fertilizing once your lawn is actively growing. This helps to protect the environment. If you’re growing cool-season grasses like Kentucky bluegrass and Fescue, it’s especially important to fertilize. The reason is because cool season grasses thrive in cooler weather and don’t grow as well in the hotter temperatures of Summer. The added nutrients ensure that they will be strong enough to endure the heat and continue growing again come Fall.

A well-fertilized lawn can also fend off weeds. Thick and dense turf without any bare spots will minimize the chances of weeds growing. Ample nutrients will encourage strong root growth, helping your grass to grow well and fighting off weeds and pests.

#3 Water your lawn with just the right amount of water
How much is just enough? It’s important for turf grasses to have ample water to grow healthy and strong roots, but too much moisture can also lead to a susceptibility to drought and disease. Try watering about half an inch of water a time. Allow turf to dry before your next watering to prevent fungi and disease, which require excess moisture to spread and thrive.

Not only will adequate watering help to keep your grass healthy, it will also reduce mite damage. During the winter, mites take moisture from the grass, killing off sections of a lawn at a time. This usually happens on parts of the lawn that face south and west, or where sun is reflected onto the yard off of fences, rock walls, and structures. Watering adequately will allow your lawn to grow back evenly without large patches of dead grass. Using mite sprays and watering your lawn during the winter can be a great help in preventing damage later on.

So during early spring, start watering your lawns. Set your sprinkler systems to water about twice a week. Make sure that there isn’t too much water that causes a run-off as run-offs are expensive and damaging to the environment. But at the same time, also make sure that there is enough water so that it penetrates into the soil to reach the roots.

If your lawn is on a sloped surface, try watering it twice within a short interval of time, which allows water the chance to be absorbed instead of simply running off.  This kind of deeper watering encourages deep root growth that is more drought-resistant than shallow roots.

#4 Keep the weeds in check
To prevent weeds from taking root, make sure your grass is growing well. Following the above steps to fertilize and water your turf will ensure robust grass growth, keeping the weeds at bay.

#5 Mow your lawn for healthy regrowth
Once your turf reaches about 3 inches in height, it’s okay to start mowing your lawn. Cut only about a third of the length of a blade of grass with a sharp blade. The sharp blade will help grass to heal faster while losing less water.


A beautiful lawn is yours with just these five simple tips. Call Fischer today if you need support with your lawn care.