Coming out of the winter, it’s not uncommon for a lawn to look in rough shape. The harsh winter conditions can take a toll, even on healthy lawns.
In this article, we’ll talk about lawn care after winter including any steps that you can take to help revive your lawn. We’ll also talk about the steps that should have been taken leading up to winter so that you can better prepare your lawn next year.
We will cover the following tips:
1. Early spring applications
2. Water in the mornings
3. Mow high in the beginning
4. Make a plan for the fall
How to Revive Grass After Winter
Before we get into our four tips on what you can do to help revive your lawn after winter, we want to talk about the importance of a late fall fertilization service (what people often refer to as “winterizer”).
In terms of how your lawn “wakes up” in the spring, this is honestly the single most important service that you could have done. This final application of fertilizer is a late fall lawn treatment, actually performed in late October through early December. It just happens to often have its name associated with winter as it’s approaching.
The benefit of winterizer is that it will allow your lawn to take in the nutrients it really needs and store them until the spring. What a lot of people don’t realize is that a late fall (or early winter) treatment is what helps your lawn to bounce back in early spring. That early color you see in a healthy lawn can be attributed to a winter lawn fertilizer.
This is obviously a proactive step and you may be reading this article and didn’t have it done. It’s important to make a plan for next fall (which we’ll talk about in our tips) so that you can be prepared for the future.
How to Revive Your Lawn After Winter
Whether you had late-season fertilizer applied or not, you can also use the following tips to help wake your lawn up in the early spring.
#1: Early Spring Applications
As lawn care gets underway for a new season, you want to make sure that your lawn is receiving important early spring applications of fertilizer and weed control. Early fertilization treatments help provide your lawn with a boost of nutrients that it needs as it comes out of dormancy and starts actively growing again.
It’s also really important that you don’t miss the window to apply pre-emergent controls in the early spring to prevent crabgrass. In order for this product to work properly, it must be applied in the early spring before crabgrass has germinated.
That’s because crabgrass pre-emergents work by forming a barrier that prevents germination in the first place. There’s a window of effectiveness that you don’t want to miss.
After all, the last thing that you want is your lawn to come out of a state of dormancy only to be taken over by crabgrass. This is a key time to focus on prevention.
#2: Water in the mornings
Getting on a watering regimen in the spring is also important.
While spring is often a rainy season, you’ll want to pay attention to how much water your lawn is getting from rainfall. This can be done easily with a rain gauge.
Lawns need one to two inches of consistent water per week. If Mother Nature is not providing enough, you can supplement with morning watering.
Morning is the best time to water because it allows plenty of time for the lawn to dry out and absorb as much water as possible before evaporation. But it also prevents leaving excess water on your lawn overnight which can lead to turf disease.
#3: Mow high in the beginning
As your lawn wakes up and starts actively growing again, you’ll also soon be getting back on a mowing regimen.
Mowing can be a stressful experience for the lawn, particularly as it’s first coming out of dormancy. This is why you’ll likely want to ease into your mowing routine and start off by “mowing high.”
The shorter that you mow the lawn, the more stress that you put on it. We always recommend being diligent about not mowing the lawn too short. But this is especially important during times of high stress (such as periods of drought or as it comes out of dormancy).
Always mow the lawn with sharp blades and a level mowing deck. Take this early part of the season to make sure that you’re prepared with quality equipment.
#4: Make a plan for the fall
Finally, even though you are at the start of a brand new season, it’s important to think ahead. If you have bare spots in the lawn after winter, then you’re going to need to seed those areas to fill them in.
However, we strongly advise against seeding the lawn in the spring for a couple of key reasons.
For one, seeding in the spring will mean that we can’t apply crabgrass control products. Crabgrass pre-emergent products will kill new grass.
But seeding in the spring is also tough since the hot, dry season is just around the corner. The summer is the most difficult time of the year for new grass to grow and it may not survive in the heat.
Instead, make a plan for aeration and overseeding in the fall. We know that if you have dead grass after winter it can feel like a long time to wait until the fall to seed. But it’s important to trust the process. You don’t want to end up shooting yourself in the foot by wasting time and money seeding in the spring. And you certainly don’t want to end up with a lot of crabgrass in your lawn because you weren’t able to properly address it.
As we mentioned earlier, the fall is also an important time for spring lawn care because this is when we apply “winterizer.” That final application of fertilizer will help set your lawn up for success the following spring.
Choosing Comprehensive Lawn Care in Cincinnati, Dayton, OH and Northern Kentucky
The spring is a really important time to get your lawn off on the right foot. That’s why it’s important to partner with a lawn care company that has your back.
At Oasis Turf & Tree, we can help take your lawn to its full potential, eliminating the guesswork and the hassles.
Regardless of the season, you’ll know that we’ve got you covered. In time, you’ll see your lawn performing its best, and becoming the envy of the neighborhood, and you’ll know you chose wisely.
If you’re ready to stop the guess-work about whether your lawn is getting the treatments it needs, learn more about our comprehensive lawn care program for your Dayton, Ohio, Cincinnati, or Northern Kentucky home. Feel free to request a quote, then sit back and relax as enjoy your worry-free lawn.
Image source: lawn mower