Spring Lawn Care.
10 Tasks to Consider Before the Mowing Season
By David Beaulieu, About.com Guide
First the bad news: if you neglect spring lawn care (and related concerns pertaining to your mower), you could end up paying for it the rest of the year. Now the good news: spring lawn care doesn’t entail nearly the amount of work that you’ll have to invest in mowing alone throughout the summer months.
In fact, most of you will need to implement only about half of the following ten tips for spring lawn care, depending upon your own unique circumstances. Furthermore, I point out in a few instances below that the task in question is better performed as part of your fall lawn care, if you can wait that long.
Spring Lawn Care Tip #1: Raking
Raking will be your first task of spring lawn care. Okay, I can hear the groans coming from all lands near and far, wherever grassy carpets are cultivated: “But we already raked leaves in the fall!” Sorry, but raking is for more than just removing leaves: it’s for controlling thatch, too. A thatch build-up of more than 1/2 inch is considered excessive.
Thatch is the reason why I recommend that, when you rake leaves in the fall, you make the effort to rake deeply. Don’t just skim the surface, so as to remove the leaves. A deep raking will remove thatch, too, allowing you to kill two birds with one stone. Even if you followed this advice in fall, I still recommend a spring raking: it will remove grass blades that died over the winter — dead blades that are just waiting to become thatch!
But there’s often another good reason for a spring raking. As you survey your lawn in spring, see if there are any matted patches, in which the grass blades are all stuck together. This can be caused by a disease known as “snow mold.” New grass may have difficulty penetrating these matted patches. But a light raking will be sufficient to solve this problem.
Just when you should perform any of these spring lawn care tasks will depend upon the climate of your own region. But Mother Nature provides palpable cues in some cases. For instance, when you’re pretty sure the snow season (if you have one) is over in your region, begin raking. Applying preemergent herbicides (see Tip #6) should be done sometime between the time the local forsythia bushes stop blooming and the time the local lilac bushes begin blooming.
Spring Lawn Care Tip #2: Check for Compaction
If your lawn is subjected to high levels of traffic year after year, it may eventually start to show signs of decline. In such cases, your lawn is probably suffering from compaction. For instance, the presence of moss plants signals compaction (among other things).
Lawn aeration is the remedy for compaction. The good news is that lawn aerators can be rented at your local rental center. The bad news is that the experts recommend postponing lawn aeration until fall. But if, during your “spring lawn checkup,” you become aware of compaction, at least you can plan on setting aside some time in the fall to take care of it.
Spring Lawn Care Tip #3: Liming
Besides compaction, the presence of moss plants also signals acidity. But grass likes a neutral soil pH. You can solve this problem by liming your soil. But don’t expect a quick fix: the effects of liming are slow to take place.
But first send a soil sample to your local county extension to determine the extent of your soil’s acidity. The county extension will also be able to advise you on how much lime per square foot you’ll need. Apply the lime using a lawn spreader.
But if your lawn has been doing fine and shows no signs of suffering from acidity, don’t apply lime. Liming is only a corrective measure, not a preventive measure. A soil that is too alkaline will also cause your lawn problems, so too much lime is as bad as not enough.
Spring Lawn Care Tip #4: Overseeding
Is your lawn riddled with bare patches due to dog spots, heavy traffic or neglect? If so, you may need to apply grass seed to fill in those bare patches. This solution is known as “overseeding lawns.” Apply a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer when you overseed. Five weeks after the grass germinates, apply a quick-release nitrogen fertilizer.
However, spring isn’t the very best time for overseeding lawns. Fall is the preferred time, when the new grass won’t have to compete with crabgrass (see Page 2), which is killed off by autumn frosts. So postpone overseeding until fall, unless your situation is dire.
Spring Lawn Care Tip #5: Fertilizing
Lawns can be fertilized organically by using compost and mulching mowers. But for those who prefer chemical fertilizers, Scotts provides a lawn fertilizing schedule. Many experts, however, recommend a lighter feeding in spring and a heavier one in late fall for cool-season grasses. Too much fertilizer in spring can lead to disease and weed problems. And if you have, indeed, already fertilized in late fall, your lawn is still “digesting” that fertilizer in spring.
In addition to the above tasks of spring lawn care, don’t forget weed control and making sure your mower is ready for the mowing season. These two subjects are covered onFor those who prefer weed-free lawns, spring grass care is as much about weed prevention as it is about fostering healthy lawn growth. Novices to spring grass care are often surprised to learn that not all lawn weeds are battled in the same manner. Depending upon whether a weed is an annual or a perennial, you will use a preemergent herbicide or a postemergent herbicide against it.
Spring Grass Care Tip #6: Applying Preemergent Herbicides
If you know that you have a problem with the annual weed, crabgrass, then fertilization in spring should go hand in hand with the application of preemergent herbicides. As their name suggests, preemergent herbicides address weed control not “after the fact,” but before their seedlings can even emerge. Preemergent herbicides accomplish this by forming something of a “shield” that inhibits seed germination. Don’t undertake the core aeration task discussed on Page 1 after applying preemergent herbicides: to do so would be to “puncture” this shield, thereby decreasing its effectiveness.
Crabgrass begins its assault on lawns in spring, when its seeds germinate. In fact, my suggestion on Page 1 that overseeding be carried out in autumn, rather than spring, is based in part on the threat posed by a spring crabgrass invasion. “So why not just begin by killing the crabgrass first with a preemergent herbicide?” perhaps you ask. Well, the trouble is that most preemergent herbicides work against not only weed seeds, but grass seeds, as well!
You can appreciate the dilemma here. Overseeding is incompatible with the application of most preemergent herbicides. Yet, faced with competition from crabgrass in spring, you may find it difficult to establish your new grass. So while it’s still possible to overseed in spring, it’s simply easier to do so in fall. There will be no competition from crabgrass then, because the fall frosts kill off crabgrass.
If you must overseed in the spring, look for a product called, “Tupersan.” Unlike other preemergent herbicides, Tupersan will not damage germinating lawn grass seed. But if you’re committed to staying away from chemicals altogether in your spring grass care, postpone overseeding till fall.
Spring Grass Care Tip #7: Applying Postemergent Herbicides — Or Pulling Weeds
Keep an eye out for the emergence of the perennial weed, dandelion during the spring season, unless you find the presence of their cheerful yellow flowers in your lawn desirable. At the very least, you’ll want to snap off their flower stems before they produce seed. If you’re more ambitious, you can dig them out by the roots. Spraying dandelion weeds with postemergent herbicides is more effective in fall than in spring. If you do choose to spray, select an herbicide for broadleaf weeds.
If you prefer weed control without chemicals and have consistently practiced organic landscaping, you can harvest these “weeds” as dandelion greens and eat them!
Besides proper spring grass care, there’s more you need to do to get ready for a summer filled with lawn mowing. Don’t neglect preparations concerning the lawn mower itself — the subject of But your preparation for the summer lawn mowing season doesn’t end with the spring grass care covered on Page 1 and Page 2. No other power equipment is as intimately associated with and essential to landscaping as is the lawn mower. You need to have a lawn mower that will consistently get the job done without any hassles throughout the lawn mowing season. And you should also know how to use the lawn mower to your best advantage. Consequently, the final three of my ten tips focus on caring for, selecting and using lawn mowers.
Tip #8: Tuning Up Existing Lawn Mowers
Mowing the lawn all summer can be tiring enough, right? Why make it more difficult on yourself by putting up with a lawn mower that doesn’t start up immediately? When a lawn mower is stubborn about starting up, that can be a sign that it needs a tuneup. Although it’s often possible to get by without one, it is recommended that you have a lawn mower tuneup each year. Don’t put it off till summer or pay someone else to do it. Learn how to tune up a lawn mower yourself using the following resource and have your machine ready to go for summer:
3 Easy Steps for a Lawn Mower Tune-Up
How to Tune Up Your Machine Yourself
Tired of yanking on that starter cord until your arm hurts? If your machine is not starting up as soon as it should, perhaps it’s time for a lawn mower tune-up (tuneup, tune up). Although it’s often possible to get by without one, it is recommended that you have a lawn mower tune-up each year. The instructions below show you how to tune up your machine yourself.
Before performing a lawn mower tune-up, you need to warm up the engine. Put just enough gas in the gas tank to get your lawn mower running. Start your engine and let it run until it runs out of gas. Finally, now that you’re ready to perform the lawn mower tune-up, you need to take a safety precaution: disconnect the spark plug wire so that the engine can’t start accidentally.
A lawn mower tune-up essentially consists of three tasks (although maintaining your machine entails much more than this), each of which I’ll describe in more detail below:
• Changing the Oil
• Changing the Spark Plug
• Changing / Cleaning the Air Filter
Lawn Mower Tune-Up Task 1: Steps for Changing the Oil
1. Make sure you purchase the right type of oil for your replacement oil. When in doubt, ask where you bought the machine. Or, if you’re really desperate, check the owner’s manual….
2. Clean off any dirt around the upper part of the oil tank (where you fill your machine with oil). An old toothbrush comes in handy for this task. Unscrew and remove the dipstick, if your oil tank has one.
3. Now locate the lower side of your oil tank – a plug found on the underside of your machine. You need to drain out the old oil, and unscrewing this plug will do just that. Prop up your machine accordingly with blocks, providing a tilt that will give you access to the plug. Stick an oil pan or like container under the plug to catch the oil. Ready? Okay, unscrew the plug (you may need a socket wrench) by turning counter-clockwise and let that dirty oil pour out. And I do mean dirty: obviously, you don’t want to have your “Sunday best” on when performing a lawn mower tune-up!
4. Screw the drain plug back on using a clockwise motion. Don’t over-tighten, so that you’ll be able to get it off easily next time you need a lawn mower tune-up. Rather than over-tightening when you work on your machine, it’s better to tighten moderately, then periodically check during the mowing season to ensure that it hasn’t loosened through vibrations.
5. (For machines that have an oil filter) If your machine has an oil filter, replace it as part of the lawn mower tune-up and clean the gasket with which it comes into contact.
6. Remove the blocks so that your machine is level again.
7. Fill the oil tank with new oil to the correct level, replacing cap and dipstick.
8. Refill lawn mower with gas and reconnect spark plug wire.
9. At this point in the lawn mower tune-up, it’s time to start the machine. Let the engine idle and ensure that there are no oil leaks.
Lawn Mower Tune-Up Task 2: Steps for Changing the Spark Plug
1. Disconnect spark plug wire.
2. Clean the housing around the old spark plug.
3. Remove the old spark plug with socket wrench.
4. Unfortunately, at this point you’ll have to check the blasted manual again (don’t you just hate that?) What you need to do is ensure that the new spark plug is gapped the way it’s supposed to be for your machine. Just measure the gap, then see if the measurement matches manufacturer’s specifications for your machine. If it doesn’t match (or if there’s no gap at all), you’ll have to create/alter the gap.
5. Screw on the new spark plug (not too tight!).
Before changing/cleaning the air filter, first determine whether your machine has a paper or foam air filter. Paper air filters are replaced; while the foam ones are cleaned.
Lawn Mower Tune-Up Task 3A: Steps for Changing a Paper Air Filter
1. Unscrew the cover and remove the paper air filter.
2. Insert a new paper air filter with the pleat facing out.
3. Screw the cover back on.
Lawn Mower Tune-Up Task 3B: Steps for Cleaning a Foam Air Filter
1. Unscrew the cover.
2. Remove air filter unit and discard the old foam.
3. Clean the air filter unit with kerosene.
4. Soak the new piece of foam in clean engine oil. Squeeze out the excess oil using a clean rag.
5. Insert new foam in air filter. Ensure the lip protrudes over edge of the unit.
6. Screw the cover back on.
7. Re-connect spark plug wire.
Tip #9: Buying a New Lawn Mower
Or perhaps you’re fed up with your old lawn mower? Time for a change? This Q&A resource for consumers will help you decide on which type of lawn mower is best for you: Question: What is the best lawn mower for those with an environmental conscience? Answer: In terms of fighting air pollution, reel mowers and electric mowers are both excellent environmental selections. To reduce the environmental burden on community landfills, make sure that, whatever type of mower you select in your shopping, it has mulching capabilities.
Tip #10: Reviewing Lawn Mowing Strategies
“What’s there to know about lawn mowing?” perhaps you ask. “You just push the lawn mower and it cuts the grass, right?” At the most basic level, Yes. And if lawn mowing is merely a mindless chore that you perform to satisfy other people (and you really don’t care much about the health of your lawn), then you needn’t know any more about it.
However, if you do care about the health of your lawn, there’s a bit more to lawn mowing than just keeping your grass short enough to prevent the neighborhood from thinking your house has been abandonned! Spring is a good time to learn (or review) lawn mowing strategies — before it becomes so hot outside that it’s hard to think!
