Spring Green Up Tips – The Organic Turf Experts PureLawn
It is actually snowing outside while I type this. I don’t know what that groundhog saw in February, but I would place a bet he didn’t see this! It is tough to think about Spring, but spring green up is right around the corner with the organic turf experts at PureLawn. Here are a couple spring green up tips from The Organic Turf Experts PureLawn.
Spring Green Up Tips – The Organic Turf Experts PureLawn
1) Feed Your Lawn – That annoying orange-haired guy with the fake Scottish accent you have been hearing on the radio and seeing on TV is correct…It is time to feed your lawn. He isn’t an organic turf expert or born in Europe, but the message he is conveying is correct. Lawns in Cincinnati and Dayton will benefit from an early spring green up application of organic fertilizer. We are applying Corn Gluten Meal and a premergent plus fertilizer right now. Both of these treatments will help push your lawn out of Winter Dormancy and turn that tan grass greener quicker. Don’t put too much nitrogen down though (the first number on the bag). You can actually bring on lawn disease problems later in the Summer by putting down too much fertilizer in the Spring. Most of your fertilizer should be put down in the Fall according to The Ohio State Turfgrass Research Department. A good bag of fertilizer for the spring green up would be a bag of fertilizer with 9%-19% of Nitrogen (remember the first number on the bag). Put it down according to the label. If you plan on putting down Corn Gluten Meal this has an analysis of 9-0-0. Corn Gluten Meal provides a wonderful spring green up plus works as a natural premergent.
2) Aerate Your Lawn –There is a reason golf courses do this twice per year. It works! We have high clay soils in Cincinnati and Dayton that compact very easily. When you get a compacted soil you run into more weed, insect, disease, thatch, and drought stress problems. The fertilizer being applied by you or your lawn company will find its way down to the grass roots better if you aerate your lawn. When a lawn is too compact you may be wasting your money and time putting down fertilizer. It won’t reach the roots and be taken up by the grass as easily. This means it could likely end up in the storm drains, which is not what anyone wants.
Make sure you are aerating the lawn properly and at the right time. There are some companies offering Free Lawn Aerations. This sounds great, but make sure it is done properly. If these companies are aerating improperly or at the wrong time it can do more harm than good. Core aerate the lawn when the turf and roots are growing. We usually core aerate the lawn in April-May and Sept-October. Make sure the soil isn’t too saturated or you can push soil around with the aerating machine. Core aerate the lawn and DO NOT spike or roll the lawn. Pull plugs from the soil with an aerator. Do NOT use a spiking machine or those silly aerating shoes you bought out of the Sky Mall magazine back in 1994. Rolling your lawn will not improve the bumpiness of your soil and only contributes to the compaction like your spiking shoes.
3) Enjoy Your Lawn – Spring is the time to enjoy your lawn with the family. Turn off Amish Mafia and Housewives of Atlanta, open that back door up, and inhale the wonderful scent of cut grass and burgers grilling. Enjoy your PureLawn! Enjoy it!