Spring Lawn Care

First a disclaimer – I am probably not the best person to be writing this particular article.  Yes I do have a lawn; actually quite a lot of lawn, and I mow it in a semi-regular manner.  I, however, consider anything that is approximately green to be an appropriate turf plant and happily accommodate dandelions, Creeping Charlie, Wood Violets, and any measure of other green and growing things in my lawn.  My fertilization program consists of mulch-mowing the fall leaves and not removing any grass clippings from summer mowings.  In the winter I scatter the ashes from my sauna stove over the snow cover.  I depend on Mother Nature to provide my lawn with moisture. If I were to use an herbicide, my poor lawn could turn into a parking lot.  Now that the truth be known, here’s what the experts recommend.

For small bare spots, you can simply apply grass seed mixed with some of the topsoil.  This is best done in mid to late August but many people do it in the spring.  Mulch the seeded area with straw or grass clippings to hold moisture in the soil, and prevent people or pets from walking over the area until the grass is established.  Watch these areas as tender young grass is susceptible to die-off during mid-summer’s heat.

Mow your lawn frequently enough that you never have to chop off more than 1/3 of the grass leaf.  Keep your mower height set at two to three inches.  If the summer is dry, a higher setting will keep your lawn greener. It is not necessary to remove grass clippings unless you’ve delayed cutting to the point where the clippings form a mat on top of your lawn. (Been there – done that – especially after two weeks of rain).  As a matter of fact, grass clippings return nutrients to your lawn resulting in a decreased need for fertilizer.  Keep your mower blades sharpened so that you clip the grass leaf rather than shredding it.

Your fertilization schedule should depend upon the quality of the turf you wish to maintain.  A low quality lawn should be fertilized once in the late summer.  Medium and high quality lawns require more nutrients and are fertilized more frequently. If you use the “Holiday schedule” you would fertilize around Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, and Halloween.  This year I intend to fertilize twice, Memorial Day and Labor Day.  That should make my Creeping Charlie happy.  If you purchase turf fertilizer there should be an application rate printed on the bag but if your spreader isn't listed, look for a telephone number that you can call to get the proper setting. If all else fails, measure out a 1000 square foot area (10 feet by 100 feet or 25 feet by 40 feet), set your spreader on a low to medium setting, put in a measured amount of fertilizer, and proceed by trial and error.  It is better to under fertilize than over fertilize; you can always make two passes over your lawn.  Make sure you sweep any fertilizer off walks and driveways and try to time your application when rain is expected within 24 hours.

If you read the last column, hopefully you have done a soil test, or at least thought about it.  If you’ve not had your soil tested, apply any regular type of turf fertilizer.  A regular turf fertilizer will be about a 7-1-1 mix (N-P-K). When a soil test indicates the need for phosphorus, apply turf “starter” fertilizer (approximately a 1-2-1 mix) at least once a year and re-test after 2 to 3 years. For soils testing low in potassium (more probable in this area), apply “winterizer” or “late season” fertilizer at least once a year and re-test after 2 to 3 years. Late season fertilizers are approximately a 6-1-6 mix.  Look for a fertilizer that contains 30-50% of “slow release” nitrogen.  Each fertilizer application should apply about one pound of nitrogen per 1000 square feet of lawn

To manage Creeping Charlie or Wood Violets, follow a good lawn maintenance schedule of mowing and fertilizing and apply a lawn herbicide with 2, 4-D or triclopyr as one ingredient.  Apply the herbicide in autumn or in spring when the purple flowers are visible. Many people (including me) enjoy the flowers and keep them in the lawn.

For more information look for University of Wisconsin Extension Service bulletins “Lawn Establishment and Renovation”, A3434, and “Lawn Weed Prevention and Control”, A1990.

Finally – a plug for the Chequamegon Book & Coffee Company in Washburn WI.  If you are looking for used books on gardening, landscaping, flowers, farming, or any other horticultural topic, they have twelve feet of bookshelf, ten shelves high, dedicated to horticulture, not to mention additional landscaping books in the architecture section.