Quick Summary
| Month | Tasks |
| January | No tasks |
| February | No tasks |
| March | First lawn mow (top only), apply moss ki ... |
| April | Raking and scarifying, remove moss kille ... |
When is the best time of year to treat a lawn?
As commercial landscapers, people often ask us how to treat a lawn in the spring, and our reply is not as much how, but when. Living in Columbus, Ohio, it could warm up to 70 degrees in February and snow as late as April, so it’s imperative to time it right and wait until your lawn is ready.
How to take care of your lawn in the summer?
Summer Lawn Care Plan 1 Mow High. Gorgeous summer lawns start with long, deep, healthy roots that snake through soil to find moisture. 2 Treat for Grubs. Apply Scotts® GrubEx® if you had a grub problem last year, spot an invasion of beetles in early summer, or know that a neighbor is fighting ... 3 Water. ... 4 Feed. ...
How often should I water my lawn?
If you do choose to water, do it once a week, early in the mornings to a depth of around an inch. If your lawn looks a little lacklustre give it a feeding with a dose of liquid lawn fertiliser to boost colour.
When is the right time to Mow Your Lawn?
The right time: Mow as needed—use the one-third rule. Why timing matters: Many homeowners ritually mow on weekends, effectively putting their lawns on a seven-day mowing schedule. Most of the year, weekly mowing may be fine. But in spring, when growth is vigorous, mowing may be necessary every four or five days.
When should I start to treat my lawn?
Late spring is the best time to overseed warm-season grass. Fall is the ideal time for cool-season grass, but in colder regions, spot-seeding small areas in spring yields good results. When you overseed, apply a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer.
What month Should I fertilize lawn?
Ideally, the ground should be around 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Depending on where you live, March to April is the best time to fertilize your lawn. It's also best if your yard is watered a few days before you want to apply the fertilizer, whether that's from rain or a sprinkler.
In what order should I treat my lawn?
A Step-By-Step Lawn Care GuideGet Rid of Weeds. A few weeds in your lawn are inevitable. ... Dethatch. Thatch is the matted accumulation of organic debris that collects between grass blades and roots. ... Aerate. Inspect your lawn to see if aeration is needed. ... Reseed and Overseed. ... Mow. ... Water and Fertilize. ... Mulch and Clean. ... Call a Pro.
When should I start treating my lawn after winter?
Groom the Grass at the Beginning of the Season. As soon as the soil dries out a bit, carefully clear away leaves and dead grass using a regular leaf rake. This will break up any matted areas and improve airflow the surface of the blades. Wait to begin raking until the ground has dried out and firmed up in the spring.
What if it rains after I fertilize my lawn?
Here's the deal: rainfall after fertilization is absolutely not a bad thing. In fact, it's good! Water helps fertilizer fully absorb into the soil. Mild rain after you fertilize is nothing to worry about.
Do I fertilize my lawn before or after rain?
It is best to wait a day or so after a rain before applying fertilizer. At this time, any pools of water will be gone, but the ground will still have moisture in it. Do not apply fertilizer on grass blades that are still wet. Check the forecast and make sure some sunshine is in order.
What should I put on my lawn this time of year?
Spring Lawn Care PlanClean Up. Kick off the growing and mowing season with a quick spring cleaning. ... Mow High. Double-check your mower deck height, and position it to cut grass at the highest possible setting for your grass type. ... Apply Fertilizer. ... Beat Weeds. ... Patch and Thicken.
How often should you treat your lawn?
While feeding your lawn once a year will improve its condition, feeding it 4 times a year will make it even healthier and more beautiful. Turn your lawn into the best on the block by putting it on this fertilizer schedule.
When should I treat my lawn for grubs?
If you want to stop grub damage right away, the best time to apply a grub killer to your lawn is when you first see signs of damage. This is typically any time between mid-summer through September when the grub larvae feed the most.
What should I put on my lawn in February?
January/ February Start your lawn off right by giving a light dose of fertilizer including nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. In addition, early spring is the time to do your first application of pre-emergent herbicide.
Can I fertilize my lawn in December?
Don't fertilize too early! During the winter months, grass is likely dormant if you haven't been irrigating. When you fertilize too early in spring—meaning it's still winter— you're providing nutrients before the grass has broken dormancy. It won't be able to immediately take advantage of the nutrients you provided.
When should I start preparing my lawn for spring?
Turfgrasses are somewhat tender and vulnerable in the early spring, however, so it's best to wait until the lawn begins to green up, which signifies the grass blades are firmly rooted and the plants are actively growing.
What is the best temperature for grass?
Cool season grasses thrive in cool humid and cool arid areas of the country where the temperatures stay around 65 to 75 degrees during the majority of the growing season.
Which states have warm season lawns?
States with warm season lawns include: South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Arkansas.
What is transition grass?
Transition Grasses (Blend) States with climates that fall between the cool and warm season zones are in what is called the "transition zone". Here, many people have a blend of both warm and cool season lawns to maintain a green and healthy lawn year round.
What do you need to wear to use insecticide?
In most situations, it is recommended that you wear long pants, a long sleeved shirt, closed toe shoes with socks, chemical resistant gloves, and goggles. In areas where ventilation is poor, a manufacturer may recommend you wear a mask or a respirator. We have put together two different safety kits that will make selecting the correct safety gear easier for you.
How to keep grass green and healthy?
3. Water. To keep grass green, healthy, and growing, provide at least 1 inch of water per week, either through irrigation or rainfall. Time irrigation for early morning (between 6 and 10 a.m.) to minimize water loss to evaporation. 4.
How to cut grass at the highest level?
2. Mow High. Double-check your mower deck height, and position it to cut grass at the highest possible setting for your grass type. Cutting high encourages grass plants to grow thicker with deeper roots, which creates a lawn of healthy grass that will help to crowd out weeds. 3.
How to get rid of leaves in the fall?
Mow Short. In late fall, drop mower height and cut your lawn 1 to 2 inches shorter than normal. In areas with falling leaves, a shorter lawn prevents leaves from matting down the grass.
When is the best time to feed grass?
Augustine, late spring and summer are the prime growing times. In addition, cool-season grasses benefit from feeding in late fall (October or November), when growth has slowed but the grass is still green.
How does grass use up nutrients?
As grass (or any plant) grows, it uses up nutrients in the soil. When you mow and bag up clippings, over time all the soil nutrients will get used up so you'll need to add fertilizer. If you let clippings decompose back into the soil instead, that will help a little, but you may still need to replenish available nutrients once in a while. A soil test every year will show you how much you may need to add. When you feed your lawn is important, too.
Can you aerate and mow your lawn?
You can aerate, weed, water, and mow in the correct way and still have a lawn that's struggling. Whether you rely on do-it-yourself lawn treatments or hire professionals, it's important that your grass gets what it needs to thrive during the optimal time frame.
Do you need to water your lawn during dry spells?
No matter where you live or what type of grass you have, your lawn will probably need at least some irrigation to keep it green during extended summer dry spells.
Can you water your lawn if it is wet?
If the grass isn't wet, you'll be wasting your time and money. Warm temperatures often help liquid treatments work faster, too. However, if you've been having a hot but dry summer, you'll want to water your lawn first. applying weed treatment to yard. Credit: Scott Little.
Do weed preventers germinate before germination?
Why timing matters: Weed preventers are not effective against weeds that have already begun to grow, so you must apply them before germination to gain any benefit. Crabgrass, the primary target of lawn weed preventers, normally germinates just after forsythia blooms, so take your cue from Mother Nature.
Using Herbicides
Weed-killing sprays, or herbicides, are useful products for maintaining a weed-free lawn. Since these kill plants, using them carefully is important to maintain your lawn and other greenery. Following the directions and making sure you use the right kind of herbicide for the weed you’re dealing with will ensure the best results.
When Should I Treat My Lawn for Weeds?
Maintaining an annual schedule for the cycles of plant growth across the seasons is the best way to stay on top of weed control year to year.
What Time of Day Should I Spray for Weeds?
Applying herbicides should be done in the late morning after the grass has dried from the morning dew, which can dilute the spray and make it less effective. Waiting until midday may be too late to apply weed sprays since the liquid may evaporate before it can be absorbed, especially on hot summer days.
Should You Spray Weeds Before or After Mowing?
Here again, timing is going to be about the type of herbicide you’re using on a specific kind of weed. Pre-emergent treatments should be applied after mowing since this product needs access to the soil.
Types of Weeds
Identifying the type of unwanted plant is the first step in making sure you can root it out correctly. Some of the most common types of weeds include:
What to do if your lawn is brown?
Reseed. Bare or brown areas of your lawn need to be reseeded. After you test your soil condition and correct the pH level (if needed), and you aerate to loosen compacted ground, your lawn is now ready for grass seed.
What to do with dead grass that has been rake?
Thatch consists of small pieces of dead grass. If too much builds up it can create a barrier blocking essential sunlight, air, and moisture from reaching your turf. Once the ground dries out, give your yard a deep raking to remove thatch, leaves and other debris that has accumulated over winter.
What does an aerator do to your lawn?
An aerator removes small plugs of soil from your lawn, loosening the ground and allowing more air, water, and nutrients into the soil.
When is spring in Ohio?
Spring is an important time of year for lawn care and landscaping. The calendar tells us that spring begins on March 21st but if you live in Columbus, Ohio, you know this may not be the case. This article outlined various ways to treat your yard in spring and the importance of timing lawn treatments just right.
Is it too late to apply pre-emergence?
Pre-emergent weed control prevents weed seeds from germinating, that’s why timing is everything. If you wait too long and weeds are already growing, it’s too late. A good rule of nature is to apply a pre-emergent just as the forsythia bushes finish blooming. Use a spreader for even, thorough coverage.
Can you apply pre-emergence to grass seed?
If you plant grass seed you can’t apply a pre-emergent because, along with preventing weeds, it will also stop any new grass from growing. You can, however, fill in bare spots after applying pre-emergent, but you must wait 12 weeks for the weed treatment to run its course.
Can you fix your lawn with fertilizer?
If it’s too late and the damage is done, don’t think you can fix everything with a quick dose of fertilizer. Applying fertilizer will only make matters worse, possibly burning the already vulnerable grass. Spring is an important time of year for lawn care and landscaping.
Signs of Grub Problems
Because grubs typically live underground, it can be a bit challenging to figure out if you have any in your lawn, but challenging doesn’t mean impossible. Below we’ve highlighted a few signs that you might have a grub infestation on your hands.
How To Check for Grubs
Since grubs live underground, there’s really only one good way to check for them – start digging. We completely understand that you don’t want to tear up your entire lawn though, and that’s why we recommend only checking a single square foot of your yard.
Tips for Selecting Grub Control
If you’ve found grubs in your lawn, you need to get the right product to kill them or keep them from coming back. We’re not going to highlight any individual product here, instead we’ll walk you through everything you need to know to get what you need.
Final Thoughts
White grubs can be one of the most annoying and destructive lawn pests, if you stay committed and use the right products, there’s no reason you can’t get them under control in just one season.
How to prevent grubs from destroying my lawn?
Proper fertilization is important to prevent and allow the lawn to recover from grub damage. Mow lawns immediately before applying an insecticide for grubs to remove weed flowers and protect bees. Make a regular practice of mowing your yard with the mower on the highest setting (3.5-4 inches).
When do grubs appear in lawns?
Grub damage may appear in home lawns from mid-September to November or from March to early May. However, for low-maintenance lawns, even if the turf is not killed from grub feeding, the thinned and weakened turf may be prone to weeds and drought stress. Healthy turf with a few grubs may not need an insecticide.
When to apply chlorantraniliprole?
The preventive compound chlorantraniliprole should ideally be applied in April or May to control grubs that would be damaging turf in the fall as it will take longer for the material to move to where the grubs will be feeding in July. To kill grubs in the spring or fall, use carbaryl or trichlorfon.
How to measure how much irrigation is applied?
You can measure how much irrigation is applied by putting out several coffee cups in your lawn and run the irrigation until they fill to a half-inch level above the bottom. Research tests over the last 25 years have clearly shown that watering immediately after application helps to obtain good results.
How long does a turf outbreak last?
The outbreak phase where turf damage is common may last five to 10 years. If you see a dead patch, use a shovel to dig up a few Frisbee-size samples of turf around the bare spot to a depth of 2 inches and look for 0.75-inch long, C-shaped white grubs.
When will grub control be available in stores?
Below is a short list of products now being sold for grub control as of May 22, 2020, in stores checked in the Mid-Michigan area. An online search indicates there are other products that will be available at other stores. Check the active ingredients.
Do you need to use insecticide for grubs?
However, if the grub population is high or if there is a history of damage in an area, it may be necessary to consider using an insecticide for grub control . Finding one or two grubs does not indicate you need to apply a grub control product. Check for the active ingredient in a grub product.