How happy are we for Spring?!!! Long, long over due. Buds are breaking, grass is growing, birds are chirping…I love this season except for my allergies. Cool season grasses are just waiting to be mowed regularly, over seeded and fertilized. The soil temperature is around 54 degrees at 2” deep at Page and Warson. It will have to stay there for the next 7-10 days to get much germination of seed or crabgrass. Don’t be in a hurry to put down your crabgrass control with Dimension until you have mowed at least twice! It’s more important that winter clutter has been removed before you apply the Dimension Here are this months main points:
COOL SEASON GRASS TIPS
*Mow down to about 2 ½ inches with a good sharp blade
*Rake or blow the yard first so when you do mow, you chop up or suck up the loose debris
*Apply your low nitrogen fertilizer with Dimension in the next couple of weeks (despite what you might hear on the radio or get from the fuzzy faced dude on TV)
*Spot treat early chick weed, henbit and dandelions as you see them! Read the label and understand what you are applying. The best defense against weeds isn’t chemicals…it’s thick grass!
*Raise your mower up to 3 ½ inches after the first two mowings and leave it the heck alone all summer long! Trust me, you will want to do this.
*Spot seed as needed, but only if you covered these areas with a towel or tarp before applying the crabgrass control. Save big seed jobs for September. Use sod along drives or bare areas in the spring.
*It’s never too late to test your soil, but definitely do so before applying fertilizers! (earthco.com for the best soil test kit in town and beyond)
*Don’t turn on your sprinkler system before May 1st. Patience people, patience!
WARM SEASON GRASS TIPS
*Start planning, but you should be nothing much for the next couple of weeks
*You can mow down to 2 inches or so, but be careful at that height! Sewer and gas covers are easy to find at that height!
Come back next month for details on zoysia lawns. It just too early to get aggressive with these lawns yet.
I will hope the spring is kind to you all may we all complain about how hot it is soon!
Glenn Kraemer
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