As spring arrives, many lawns are emerging from winter looking less than their best. Winter can leave its mark with snow mold patches, damage from pets, and the activities of critters like voles and moles. While snow mold might be less prevalent after a milder winter, the usual compaction and matting of grass from snow accumulation is still common. For households with dogs, localized patches of damage from pet urine are often an additional concern to address as part of your Spring Lawn Care Program.
To encourage faster green-up and healthy growth, a gentle raking is one of the first steps in a spring lawn care program. Use a leaf rake, not a stiff garden rake, to lightly go over your lawn. This process effectively removes dead grass blades and surface debris that can hinder new growth as temperatures rise. Focus your raking efforts on areas that appear most affected, rather than needing to rake the entire lawn rigorously.
Timing Your Crabgrass Pre-Emergence Treatment
For those planning to apply a crabgrass pre-emergence herbicide as part of their spring lawn care program, it’s crucial to understand the correct timing. In regions like mid- and southern Michigan, the window for optimal application is approaching. Crabgrass and other summer annual grasses need specific soil temperatures and moisture levels to germinate and establish. Germination is most likely to occur when the soil temperature at a 0- to 2-inch depth consistently reaches between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. As of late March 2020, soil temperatures in East Lansing, Michigan were still around 45°F.
A valuable tool for determining the right time for pre-emergence herbicide application in your spring lawn care program is using Growing Degree Days (GDD). Resources like GDDTracker.net offer GDD models that help predict soil temperatures indirectly, specifically for turfgrass management. By entering your zip code on the site and clicking on the “Crabgrass PRE” button, you can access localized data relevant to your spring lawn care program.
This GDD model aims to predict when the 0- to 2-inch soil temperatures consistently reach 50-55°F. This temperature range indicates that it’s an ideal time to apply pre-emergence herbicide, allowing it to be effective before crabgrass germination begins as part of your spring lawn care program. For example, in late March, the GDD model for East Lansing, Michigan showed an accumulation of 241 GDD, while the recommended range for preemergence applications is between 250 and 500.
It’s important to note that you don’t need to rush to apply herbicide on the very first day the model indicates the optimum window. Typically, the effective application window lasts for a couple of weeks or even longer in most years, giving you flexibility in your spring lawn care program. If you haven’t yet purchased a crabgrass pre-emergence herbicide, there’s no immediate cause for concern. Herbicides containing dithiopyr (Dimension) remain effective up to the two-leaf stage of crabgrass, which usually occurs in early May. Consider this year as an opportunity to observe your lawn’s natural resilience without pre-emergence herbicides. A dense, healthy lawn might naturally resist significant crabgrass invasion, demonstrating a more sustainable approach to your spring lawn care program.
Early Season Fertilizer Application Timing
In many spring lawn care programs, early season fertilizer applications are often combined with crabgrass pre-emergence treatments. However, if you are considering fertilizing your lawn, it’s best to wait until the grass has fully greened up and requires mowing. Applying fertilizer too early, while the soil is still cold, is not effective. Turfgrass needs warmer soil temperatures to become actively growing and capable of efficiently absorbing nutrients from fertilizer as part of your spring lawn care program.
The Practice of Rolling Lawns in Spring
Rolling lawns is a common practice in spring lawn care programs, but it should be approached with caution. After spring rains, soil is often saturated, and rolling a wet lawn can cause more harm than good. Rolling overly wet soil can lead to soil compaction, which is detrimental to lawn health. While rolling is often used to smooth out mole tunnels and unevenness caused by frost heave over the winter, it’s advisable to wait until the soil has dried out sufficiently before rolling. Rolling dry soil will effectively address these issues without risking soil compaction, making it a more beneficial step in your spring lawn care program when timed correctly.
