Now is the time for pre-spring lawn care.
Whether you have a lawn service or landscape provider or prefer to tackle lawn care and projects yourself, now until mid-April is the perfect time to take on early lawn chores.
Andrew Eckhoff, general manager at Bountiful Acres, in Buckingham, said for a great lawn this summer begin over seeding your lawn with a high-quality grass seed and fertilizer mix.
From too much winter moisture to lingering snow pack coverage or lack of sunshine, evaluate issues and begin corrective action.
“For the do-it-yourself homeowner, a push spreader will allow you to seed larger areas, while hand-seeding is enough to mend patches or smaller areas in the lawn,” Eckhoff explained.
Remember to keep newly sown seed moist or apply a product that takes care of protecting seeds before and just after germination.
“Stiff rake and thatch or ‘ruff up’ any areas where you’re going to seed and put the seed down. Then keep it watered,” Eckhoff recommends.
He suggests using a fescue blend grass seed type, which are reliable growing, drought resistant varieties for Bucks County.
“The roots grow deep, so they are tolerant to a number of things” that can cause lawn problems” like drought spells and heat scorching, he said.
If you notice holes or “channels” in your landscape you could have voles.
Voles and moles are two different problems, Eckhoff said.
“Moles are carnivores, while voles are herbivores. Voles do the real damage and eat the lawn plant roots,” he explained.
Correct damage by filling in holes or channel areas. First scoop out and discard any bad turf, then refill and replant with grass seed.
“Trying to actually remove the pest is very difficult,” Eckhoff said.
A little prevention goes a long way when it comes to treating weeds in the lawn.
Eckhoff recommends putting down pre-emergent herbicide treatments any time through mid-April, too.
Don’t put down new grass seed and herbicides at the same time.
“The earlier the better for reseeding or pre-emergent herbicides. But do one or the other during the same season — not both,” he explained.
After grass seed germinates and begins growing, it is possible to treat the lawn with a pre-emergent herbicide. Eckhoff recommends caution — so as not to kill off tender new grass shoots or “tillers” — or discuss seeding and treatments with your landscape provider before ordering spring lawn care.
Pre-emergent herbicides aim to keep spring weeds from germinating. In May, switch to a weed-and-feed program to finish off any weeds that escaped pre-treatment.
Lawn thatching can be done in spring, though it is more commonly tackled during fall, Eckhoff said.
Early pest treatments for shrubs can include dormant oil sprays.
“From mid-month to the end of March you can spray shrubs with dormant oil, which will kill off last year’s egg casings,” Eckhoff said.
Dormant oil is suitable for use on many shrubs, including boxwoods. Read and follow manufacturer’s label directions for use and applications or discuss with your lawn and landscape specialist.
Clay soils are a Pennsylvania hallmark. Bucks County soils are mostly made up of silt, red shale and sandstone.
Heavy compacted soils high in clay content make it hard for seeds to germinate and lawn grasses to flourish.
Aerating the soil or lawn in the spring — whether mechanically or with light garden raking — can be a good option to increase grass health and reduce thatch along with other negative lawn problems like grubs.
Other early garden chores can include patios walkways, maintenance for screening plantings like arborvitaes and spruce shrubs and trees.
Shrubs like arborvitae, boxwood or other small woody stemmed plants can take a beating during the winter.
Eckhoff recommends tying up — or staking and tying — shrubs damaged from ice and heavy snow.
“I’d try staking them back up and after a few months you’ll know if that will hold,” he said.
For those with severe or extensive limb damage, consider pruning them.
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