Healthy Turf - Series 3 Article 1 - First Steps To Spring Lawn Care

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Healthy Turf – Spring Maintenance

Kicking off your 2019 lawn care takes some preparation. Following these guidelines can deliver a lush, verdant and healthy lawn this season and for years to come. Look for updates weekly, adding to your knowledge and expertise.

Article 1

First Steps to Spring Lawn Care

Identify the grass you grow.
There are two types of grasses used in South Jersey a region sometimes identified as Transition.  With varying climatic zones from cool to warm, arid to humid, it presents a unique set of challenges for healthy turf growth. Timing your care based on your grass type will lead to improved results.

Warm-season grasses thrive in the heat whereas cool-season grasses struggle in our typically hot summer months. 

Cool-season grasses include fescue, bluegrass, and rye. Most common to South Jersey, these grasses have a moderate growth phase in spring, followed by a significant growth spurt in fall.  For the most part they are dormant in summer where they can struggle.

Warm-season grasses include Zoysia, St. Augustine, centipede, and Bermuda. They love the heat, going dormant in cooler months and winter. Summer is when they shine, with a powerful growth spurt that starts slowly after the last frost. Zoysia is used in South Jersey with some frequency. It has a higher tolerance for cold, offering a low growing, deep rooted, water-wise behavior. You can recognize a Zoysia grass lawn in late winter by its dormant golden color blanketing a yard. 

There are also various grass seed mixes right for our region.  They provide a complexity of types that compensate for one another. When one grass struggles a blade next to it provides strength. 

Planting the right grass in the right place is step one. Choosing based on sun, shade, clay or sandy soils will result in a lush lawn that can reduce the need for watering, fertilization and pesticide use. 

Take a Soil Test

Learn the best amendments for your soil. What will create a healthy base for your turf roots.  Spring may be a good time to make amendments to your soil. Do this with certainty and only if testing indicates it is needed. You can pick up a soil test for $20 at your local extension service.  In Burlington County the office is located at 2 Academy Drive, Westhampton. 

Maintain your equipment

Sharpen your mower blade each season. You want your mower to cut the lawn, not tear it up.  Tearing and scuffing makes your lawn more susceptible to disease which will turn your turf brown. 

Each grass type prefers to be mowed at a certain height, but generally for a cool season turf in NJ, you should mow no lower than 2.5” – 3”. Never remove more than 1/3 of the leaf blade for the balance of the season.

Start your clean up gently

Spring can be mud season in this area. Young tender grass shoots are emerging in the wet soil. Wait for the soil to dry before starting work. Keep foot traffic light and hand rake gently to remove leaves and comb the new grass. Clear any remaining snow piles encouraging them to melt by spreading them. We will talk about thatching in up-coming blogs.

Next week we will cover using herbicides and feeding your lawn. 

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