Lawn Care Calendar

Spring

MARCH
As the snow melts you may see meandering trails in your lawn & garden beds. These were made by meadow mice (voles) feeding under the snow. Don't worry about them. The turf will repair itself in a few weeks. When we get a nice, sunny day, remove winter's debris with a soft rake.

APRIL
Pre-mergence crabgrass control should be put down in early to mid April. We like to use Tax Day as our 'marker'. Another good indicator is when the forsythias & dandelions bloom. This is the first, and perhaps the most important, step in any lawn care program. If you don't control crabgrass now you're asking for trouble this summer. It's also the initial application in the 4-step program.

Once your lawn is actively growing you can, if absolutely necessary, aerate & dethatch. But it's much better to do it in the fall because the turf recovers quicker when the temp. is over 70° and the soil is warm.
Seeding may be done at this time but if you're applying crabgrass control be careful what kind you use. Some products prevent all grass seeds from germinating, weed grass & desirable grass. If you are seeding and want to control the annual weedy grasses too we strongly recommend Hi-Yield Crabgrass Preventer with Tupersan®. Sodding with our locally grown sod can be done at anytime!

MAY

• Fertilize this month at a rate of about 1# of nitrogen per 1,000 sq. ft. of lawn. For instance, a 40 pound bag of Fertilome Lawn Food Plus Iron contains 28% nitrogen, 11.20 pounds. The recommended area of coverage is 10,000 sq. ft., so you would be applying 1.12 pounds of actual N. (This is all worked out on the bags, so we don't have to worry about doing the math!)
• You can combine the fertilization with a post emergence (after they're up) broadleaf weed control, usually the second step in a four step lawn care program. If dandelions are the target, excellent control occurs when they are treated in the 'puffball' stage.
• In case you missed it, you can aerate and/or dethatch. (But fall is still better.)
• The cool moist weather of spring is ideal for some diseases, so keep an eye out for problems.
• Do a soil test before adding lime or any other soil amendments. This can be done anytime the soil is not frozen.

Summer

JUNE

• In early June, fertilizer can be put down, but cool season grasses such as Kentucky blue & fescue, will go dormant in hot weather.
• If you still have dandelions, apply a weed killer early in the month but do not spray if it's over 80 degrees.
• Mow regularly 2 1/2” to 3” and sharpen the mower blades every 4th to 6th cutting.
• If it's dry & a green lawn is important to you then- Water, Water, Water!
• Watch for sod webworms & chinch bugs if it turns dry & hot.
• Leaf spot & brown patch can be a problem.

JULY

• Unless you're watering a lot your cool season grasses will go dormant. And if it's very hot & very dry and you are maintaining a lush, green lawn then you are over watering all of your non-grass plants.
• If you must water then apply at least 1 inch week! (It's much easier said than done.)
• Sharp mower blades are even more critical now.
• Watch for insects and diseases.
• Install sod any time throughout the summer as long as you aren't going to leave for a two week vacation the day after the job is complete.

AUGUST

• It's hot! Grab a cold drink & relax.
• From the last week of August thru mid-October is the best time to fill in bare spots or establish a complete new lawn from seed.
• If grubs have been a problem in the past they'll probably be back.

Autumn

SEPTEMBER

• Around Labor Day, apply a product such as Fertilome Lawn Food Plus Iron, the third step in a four step lawn program.
• When does Nature sow her seeds? In the fall. Take advantage of this cycle to fill in or establish your lawn from seed.
• Some folks apply lime in the autumn because it is worked into the soil by rain & the freezing and thawing of winter. But test your soil first!
• Now is a good time to aerate and dethatch. Your lawn will love you for it!

OCTOBER

• You can still aerate and dethatch.
• Control Chickweed, Creeping Charlie, & lots of weeds now! Apply Fertilome Prevent Plus Lawn Food. This can be the final step in the four step program.
• In the first half of the month, there's still time to you can still seed your lawn.
• Apply a winterizer any time from Halloween to Thanksgiving.

NOVEMBER

• Mow until the grass stops growing.
• Don't forget to drain all the gas out of the mower & string trimmer.
• Apply the winterizer before Thanksgiving.

DECEMBER

• If your bird feeders are over lawn areas, try to rake up the spilled seeds and hulls every few weeks.
• Enjoy the holidays!

Winter

JANUARY
Right about now we start to long for the fragrance of fresh mown spring grass.

FEBRUARY
As we wander around the lawn on those few nice days this month it's amazing how much the grass has actually grown over the winter!
Now we're glad we applied the fertilizer in the fall.