2817 - 47th Street • Moline, IL 61265 (309) 762-6226

Every neighborhood has an unspoken “best lawn” competition. Not everyone participates, but there are always a few who manage to maintain that perfect lush green lawn. If you want to step up the ranks in your neighborhood lawn contest or maintain your position at the top, it’s time to get started on your spring lawn care. 

Giving your lawn some dedicated spring care right now will have a significant impact on its health for the rest of the growing season. A good strong start in the spring helps your lawn establish well before the heat of the summer and maintain its health through the whole summer.

These spring care tips will help you get your lawn off and growing, and help you become the envy of your neighbors.

 

meyer landscape april gardening checklist spring contact CTA

 

Here are the care tips you need to get your quad cities metro area lawn ready to grow this spring.

 

Spring Lawn Care Tips & Tasks

Go over your lawn with a stiff rake to remove winter debris, loosen up the surface thatch, and fluff the turf to avoid or lessen fungus, like snow mold:

 

meyer landscape spring lawn care snow mold in grass

 

  • Snow mold is a fungus that primarily affects cool-season grass. The effects of it start to show up as the snow melts in spring. It can be pink or gray. It usually appears as patches of yellow or brown grass that are matted and crusty. It may look pink or grey, and you may be able to actually see fuzzy mold growth in some cases. Grey mold usually only affects the blades of grass; pink mold can also affect the crown and roots of the grass. 

Apply a fertilizer with pre-emergent herbicide in mid-April to prevent annual crabgrass weeds from germinating:

  • We recommend using Organic Crumbles Fertilizer at a rate of 25 lbs. per 2500 sq. feet (however, this does not prevent crabgrass weeds) as part of your spring lawn care regime. The organic fertilizer creates a richer and more active soil, and over time, the thickened grass eventually overcomes the annual crabgrass.
  • Do not apply fertilizer with a pre-emergent herbicide to sparse areas that need overseeding. In spring, these areas should have straight lawn food applied, then apply a blend of grass seed raked lightly into the soil surface, and regular watering and care to make sure as much seed germinates as possible.

 

meyer landscape spring lawn care aeration plugs

 

Aerating your lawn helps air and moisture get down deeper to the lawn’s roots and will help your lawn get growing and healthy in the spring:

  • Aeration encourages the roots of turfgrass to grow more deeply, which helps to create a stronger turf that is more resistant to the extremes of the seasonal weather.
  • We recommend leaving the plugs from aeration on top of the lawn surface. As the plugs break down, they blend in with the thatch layer, adding a soil blend to the turf surface to help it break down. 
  • Depending on how much sun an area gets, choose and apply shade or sun blend of grass seed after aeration wherever the lawn is thin and in need of re-growth.

An optional spring lawn care task is to apply Gypsum after aeration:

  •  Gypsum helps breaks down heavy clay soils by penetrating the aeration holes and adding a more porous material into the soil that allows better airflow to the root system. 

 

meyer landscape spring lawn care applying lime to grass

 

Apply lawn and garden lime to heavily shaded areas of your lawn:

  • Lawns grow best at a neutral pH level and lime is used to neutralize acidic soils. Shaded lawns become more acidic due to tree debris dropping on turf areas. Applying lime at 50 lbs per 5000 sq. feet will help bring the pH level to a more neutral acid level. Lime will not burn your turf grass, even though it goes down at a much heavier rate than fertilizer.

These spring care tips will help you get your lawn off and growing, and help you become the envy of your neighbors. Meyer Landscape & Design stocks all of the items mentioned above, and our professional applicators can take care of these seasonal services for you as needed. You can call 309-762-6226 with any spring lawn care questions or challenges, and our staff will help you out. 

Enjoy the outdoors and your beautiful lawn this spring season!

 

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