What to do Now for a Beautiful Summer Lawn

As the days start to get longer and warmer, thoughts of a beautiful, green, weed-free yard start to surface. The key to reaching the goal of a great lawn in summer is to start now.

A soil test is the best way to get started.  You should test the soil at least every two or three years for established lawns. Guilford County extension office has free-of-charge sample boxes and instructions on how to take good soil samples. The results will tell what the grass plants want to help them grow. Soil sample results will recommend the amount of nutrients to be applied, and the product label will tell you how to apply.

Cool-season grasses (Kentucky bluegrass and fescues) should be fertilized in February around Valentine's Day, with an additional application in March if testing indicates higher fertility levels are needed.

 Warm-season grasses (Bermudagrass, centipedegrass, and zoysia) should not be fertilized until the warmer months. Application for warm-season grasses is every other month for average soils and monthly if your soil tests indicate soil fertility is low. Fertilizer application to warm-season grasses during colder months can result in cold damage.

Most soils in the Piedmont are acidic, so lime application is beneficial for cool-season grasses, which need a pH of 6.5 to 7.0 to take up available nutrients adequately. Don’t lime centipedegrass lawns without a soil test - it prefers a lower pH of 5.5. A basic rate is 40 lbs. per 1000 sq. ft. Lime can be applied at any time of year, but winter is ideal because the freezing and thawing help work the lime into the soil.

Keeping weeds out of the lawn also starts now.  Applying a pre-emergent between February and April will stop crabgrass and many other weeds from making an appearance this spring.

You do have options when your plans for a beautiful lawn exceed your available time (or desire) to do lawn maintenance. Nature’s Select Piedmont offers a Select (biologically enhanced) lawn maintenance program with custom-blended formulas based on your soil analysis. With either option, you don’t have to worry about the right time or product to apply to have a beautiful, healthy lawn.

 So whether you’re a “do it yourselfer” or prefer to have someone else care for your lawn, maintenance care now can pay off in a beautiful lawn for you to enjoy this summer.