by Thom Charters - Golf Course Manager
It’s that time of year, the snow has melted and your lawn has started to dry up a bit. Now it is time to do your lawn a favour…here are your spring lawn care tips:
Step 1: Give your lawn a brisk raking to remove dead leaf tissue, break up patches of snow mold residue and open up the surface to sunlight. This is an important first step to promoting a healthy lawn.
Step 2: Top dress thin or low spots with a quality topsoil and seeded to promote turf in those spots instead of weeds. Be sure to choose the right kind of seed for the specific areas. Shady areas will benefit from a lawn seed mix that is blended with shade tolerant species while full sun areas will excel with different turf types.
Step 3: Large seeded areas will require light but frequent watering to promote seed germination. Late morning, mid-afternoon and early evening watering will keep the seed consistently moist, which is required.
Once the seed is well established your watering should be adjusted to a heavy but less frequent schedule. Water heavily enough to get the water at least 1 inch into the soil and don’t water again until the soil dries down considerably.
If your lawn starts to take on a bluish gray tinge it is time to water heavily. If you didn’t apply fertilizer late last fall, an early spring application of a balanced product (ie 10-10-10) at a 1 pound of Nitrogen per 1,000 sq ft. rate would be advisable. Always apply with a fertilizer spreader and follow the label recommendations.
Follow these lawn care steps and you are guaranteed to be the envy of your neighbours!
