Matt Weber
Matt Weber is editor of Home Improvement & Repairs magazine based in Birmingham, Alabama.
Find more at www.homeimprovementandrepairs.com.
With spring approaching, your lawn should soon turn green again. The warm season turfgrass typical of lawns in the Southeastern United States will soon come out of dormancy by mid-April or early May. Common warm season varieties include Zoysia, St. Augustine, Bermuda, and Centipede, and these grasses typically go dormant when the temperature drops below 65º F.
Grasses come out of dormancy differently depending on the environment and temperatures in the area. For example, lawns down in South Florida may never enter dormancy at all during the winter, and many homeowners who live there will mow their lawn bi-weekly throughout the season.
WEED CONTROL
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feeding lawn, scattering granular fertilizer for perfect green
For weed problems, consider an herbicide application before spring. Mid-February is the best time for the first pre-emergent application in Central Alabama, and then a second application 60 days later. Pre-emergents, as the name suggests, are herbicides that you should apply before weeds surface from the ground, so if your lawn experiences the same kind of weed problem year after year, a pre-emergent could be a good solution. Weeds are usually categorized by grassy weeds or broadleaf weeds, and many herbicide products will state on their label which types of weeds they treat.
However, pre-emergent products never prevent 100 percent of the weeds, so spot spraying with a post-emergent product (dependent on grass type) can also help with weed control. Consistency is crucial for the most thorough weed control, so experts recommend developing an annual program for your lawn.
TIME TO FERTILIZE
Fertilizing a lawn promotes healthy roots and the return of green leaf blades, but it should not be applied until the last frost has hit. For most of Alabama, experts recommend waiting to fertilize warm season turf until May. The only exception is St. Augustine grass in South Alabama where nitrogen can be applied in April.
Fertilizers are available in granular and liquid versions, and your local garden-supply center should be able to recommend a spring-season formula for your type of grass.
If you notice spots of brown or straw-like grass while the rest of your lawn comes out of dormancy, this might be a sign of lawn disease. Avoid applying fertilizer to a lawn with disease because the nitrogen in the fertilizer will feed the disease and worsen the problem. Apply a systemic fungicide first and wait several weeks before following with a fertilizer application.
FIRST MOW OF THE SEASON
Mowing heights vary for each grass type, but according to experts, one rule applies for all of them: Never remove more than a third of the leaf blade during a single mowing to avoid stressing the plant. If your grass gets too long, gradually lower the blade over several mowings.
A good tip for spring is to make sure your lawnmower blades are sharpened so they neatly slice through the grass leaves instead of ripping them, which could cause damage that leads to lawn disease.
WATERING REGIMEN
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automatic sprinkler system watering the lawn on a background of
automatic sprinkler system watering the lawn on a background of green grass, close-up
Dormant, warm season turfgrass doesn’t need much water until the active growing season kicks in. (The lawn will still need some water, but the rainfall Alabama gets over winter is usually enough to sustain dormant turf). Once the grass starts to green-up from winter dormancy, you should resume watering the lawn with about one inch of water per week including rainfall (spread over two to three waterings).
Follow these tips to help revive your dormant grass into a healthy green lawn ready for summer activities.
Special thanks to Bethany O’Rear of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, who contributed to this article.