It’s only fitting that, with the return of spring, comes the responsibility of freshening up that lawn! I want to ensure you have all the information you need to master the tasks that take priority, this month in particular, when it comes to lawn care.

Three key points: soil preparation, weed prevention, and fertility!

SOIL PREP

The more inviting we make that Georgia red clay, the more likely grass seed or sod is to thrive! There are a couple of things to take into consideration to make sure the soil is ready. One is a soil test. If you’re new to a home or are trying to establish a new or different grass type than what was there before, it’s important to have an idea of how nutrient rich the soil is. Soil samples can be taken from your yard and sent off to UGA’s Soil, Plant & Water Laboratory in Athens. Instructions on how to do that are here.

Another consideration is preparing the soil before seeding or sodding. March is the time to overseed fescue lawns, and aerating first ensures much better seed-to-soil contact. It is possible to lay sod of warm season grasses now too, as they’ll begin to come out of dormancy with warming temperatures. Jutt Howard of NG Turf says there are many benefits to sodding warm season grasses now. “You don’t have warmer temperatures [yet], drying the sod out. Dormancy gives it a little longer shelf life. There are some financial benefits too! Generally, you can buy sod a little bit cheaper this time of year as demand is down.”

WEED PREVENTION

Every early spring and early fall, I begin preaching on my show to apply preemergence herbicide to the yard to prevent the following season’s weeds. Granular products are the most common for do-it-yourself and should be applied to a dry lawn using a spreader. The granules stay in the top layer of soil for weeks or even months to prevent many summer weeds from even being seen.

UGA Turf grass specialist Clint Waltz reminds us that, in order for the herbicide to work on weeds that emerge from seed, that seed has to germinate for the herbicide to then knock it back. You’d best believe those weeds are already beginning to think about germinating as soil temperatures are slowly on the rise.

And is it so important to remember that preemergence herbicides, like Scott’s Halts and Spectracide Weed Stop, cannot discriminate as to what seed is a weed and a grass. If using weed preventer, do not plan to overseed fescue or sprig a lawn in that same season.

FERTILITY

Appropriate fertility is just as important to the lawn as things like proper mowing height, consistent watering and weed prevention. They all work together! Plants, and grass included, always make best use of food and nutrients when they’re actively growing.

When it comes to new sod, Jutt Howard recommends waiting until the sod is completely rooted in before fertilizing or mowing. Waiting will allow the roots of the sod to take hold in the soil, and then they’ll be ready to uptake nutrients.

Lawn care calendars designed by UGA are quite helpful to stay on track of when and how often to fertilize. Find the calendars for the most common lawn grasses in Georgia here. Read and follow label directions on the bags for proper amount to use.

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