Service Area: Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, Stafford and Ladysmith.

Its Time to “Spring Forward” to a Beautiful Lawn

Spring is almost here. Many people, including us, are looking forward to getting outside and sprucing up the yard. It is a great time to perform the lawn and garden tasks that will have you on your way to a beautiful lawn.

Fertilize 

Everyone wants a fast “green up” of their lawn. Fertilizer is the way to achieve that attractive green color and supply needed nutrients. However, it must be done correctly.

Most homes in our area have lawns of cool season grasses, like tall fescue. These grasses go through a significant period of root development in the spring. Some level of slow release nitrogen is beneficial at this time. The problem is some landscape companies or homeowners use too much nitrogen for this time of year. They put the emphasis on dark green color and fast leaf growth, rather than root growth. This will lead to problems with diseases, insects, weeds and failing lawns during the hot summer months. The key is to find the correct balance of nutrients to encourage maximum root volume and depth to prepare for the summer. Give your lawn a lighter spring feeding with lower amounts of nitrogen. Save the heavier applications for fall.

Weed Control 

Not only has the grass started to grow, but so have the weeds. The very best weed control is to grow a thick healthy lawn that does not leave space for weeds to survive. Weeds are opportunistic and will pop up in every bare spot, even in a healthy lawn. Weed control treatments can be either chemical or organic. Herbicides are chemicals that kill plants. There are two types of herbicides:

Pre-emergent –this type helps control weed seeds as they germinate

Post-emergent -this type helps control existing weeds

We also use Screamin Green, an organic fertilizer with pre-emergent weed control.

Summer annual grasses such as crabgrass and spurge are often treated with a pre-emergent herbicide. The key to controlling these weeds is the timing of the application. We can take a cue from Mother  Nature. Apply pre-emergent herbicide when the forsythia is blooming. A second application may be needed to control late germinating seeds.

A post-emergent broadleaf herbicide can be used to control growing weeds such as Common Chickweed, Henbit, Clover, Dandelion, and Hairy Bittercress.

We are now doing spring lawn cleanups and mulching. In the next two weeks we will begin fertilizing.

Please contact us if you would like to get on the schedule or have any questions.

Thank you for giving Grass Roots the opportunity to care for your lawn. Have a great Spring!