After a few months’ rest, many of us in the south are starting to see the first signs of spring. In many areas, forsythia and buttercups are beginning bloom, signaling the approaching change of season. Days are getting longer, and the early-March time change is giving back those precious evening daylight hours. Home lawns, sports fields and golf courses are starting to see more activity and traffic.
This time of reemergence is great for us and for our lawns. While we’d all love to be back to our reliable spring and summer routines, remember that it takes some time to resume normal operating procedure. There are some things to be mindful of as you resume your lawn care practices in the spring so that you don’t overstress yourself or your newly active lawn.
- Beware the false flag! There’s almost always at least one short period when the temperatures drop after an initial warm-up. Keep this in mind before planting new shrubs or plants and when deciding when to mow.
- Weed control basics. Many spring lawn weeds will require more than one treatment or type of treatment. Many homeowners apply pre-emergent herbicides as a preventive treatment and then still require follow-up with post-emergent treatment as well.
- New grass care. If you’re starting a new lawn (or a section), be mindful of what products can and cannot be used on a newly seeded/sodded or soon to be seeded/sodded area. Prepare and tend those sections according to New Lawn Care guidelines.
The coming active growing season will be here in short order. Make sure you’re prepared to create and maintain a beautiful lawn by entering into this new season with a thoughtful plan.