Spring Lawn Care – What’s Enough?

One springtime task often in question is how to wake up your lawn. Folks in the neighborhood are power-raking, spraying, fertilizing, top-seeding, doing all of these, or nothing at all. What's right for you?

Wake up Your Lawn
Timing will vary depending upon the part of the country you're in, but Iowa State University offers simple recommendations for waking up your lawn:

1. Raking. Rake off matted leaves with a hand rake; power rakes encourage germination of weed seeds by exposing them to light.

2. Optional Aeration. Fall is best, but if you have a busy lawn (kids & dogs) and known compaction problems (setting water) plug-type aeration can help in the spring.

3. Optional Crabgrass Treatment. There are many options available, but they must be applied before April 10th in Iowa to be effective.

4. Optional Herbicide. To manage a greater than 10% weed population, a spring and fall broadleaf herbicide may reduce your current population by half.

5. Optional Fertilizer. Again, with busy lawns you may want to fertilize in the spring with 1 lb of nitrogen per 1000 sq. feet. If you do not have a busy lawn, you only need fertilize in the fall.

6. Optional Top Seeding. Spring seeding is much less successful than fall seeding because spring temperatures continue to warm or may become warm quickly. Both are unfavorable for grass germination. If you must seed in spring, do so not much beyond our last frost date, around April 29th.

7. Patching. For best results on fixing small bare spots, checkout the patch mix from Iowa State.

8. Mow Wisely. Set your mower deck to a minimum of 2 1/2 inches – higher mowing means fewer weeds and reduced watering (read: less expensive lawn care!). Make sure you have a sharp blade to start the year – less disease and cleaner cuts make your lawn look greener!

It's important to notice how many of these things are optional. Observe your lawn to understand its needs. You will only do the work you need and only spend the money you must to enjoy a beautiful yard (not what fertilizer programs tell you to spend).

If you have green grass and 100% coverage, your lawn is good! Often achieved with over fertilization, the dream of a dark green, carpet creates rapid, soft growth in constant risk of insect attacks, fungal diseases, high watering requirements, and an ever-growing maintenance list with escalating costs.

For the basics of yearly care, check out the Iowa State Turfgrass Management Calendar and remember you control your lawn, not the fertilizer companies!