Growing a healthy, green lawn is a labor of love. Well, that, and maybe just a bit of social pressure – but we’ll focus on the love part. A healthy lawn takes time but the pride you feel when it’s looking great always makes the effort worth it. Here are a few tips to help you have the greenest grass on the block once spring rolls around.
Feed Your Lawn
Your lawn is a little bit like Audrey from Little Shop of Horrors, not in that it wants to trick you into feeding it people (but if it does, call for help), but it does want to be fed. It’s important that you test your lawn’s nutrient and soil pH at least every two years. This will help you to know exactly what needs to be added to your soil to keep that grass green. So, order a kit and collect samples, then send them in for testing.
If you’re unsure where to get your soil tested, a great place to start is the internet (you’re already here, so easy-peasy!). Search for a local university or soil test lab, or you can easily contact your county extension agent. Fall is the best time to collect samples so you’ll have plenty of time to get the results to make any necessary amendments to the soil before growing season starts in the spring.
What Type of Fertilizer?
The specific type of fertilizer depends on what your lawn needs (hence the soil test), but a slow-release fertilizer is going to be the best bet, whatever the specific needs turn out to be. Once you get the results from your soil test, take them to your local garden center and ask them to recommend a fertilizer that fits your soil’s needs.
Aerate It
Before you fertilize your lawn, make sure to aerate. You can rent an aerating tool that will take small plugs of soil from the ground, allowing nutrients and water to penetrate the soil and get to the roots. You can also use a pitchfork or similar tool to do it manually if you want. You should aerate in the fall and the spring, also making sure to do it right before you fertilize.
When to Fertilize
Though you may have heard otherwise, the best time to fertilize your lawn is the fall, especially if you have an established lawn already. During the fall, the grass will absorb the nutrients it needs to stay strong through the winter before it goes dormant.
You should spread the fertilizer you buy over your lawn according to the directions on the product in order to avoid over-fertilizing. You don’t want to kill your grass or burn your lawn, which are very real dangers if you apply too much fertilizer.
If your lawn is patchy or if the results of the soil test indicated it, you should also apply fertilizer in the late spring. But if your lawn is already thick and lush, then there’s no need for a spring application.
Having a green lawn come spring is a goal you can certainly reach. All it takes is a little time and elbow grease to give your lawn what it needs to grow healthy and strong and come out of winter blooming!
