Spring is in full force in the Atlanta, GA area, so its time to think about preparing your lawn ready for the changing season. Here are a few tips to take care of your lawn this spring in Atlanta.
Clean Up Debris
The first thing to do is clean up any trash, branches or dead leaves that may be scattered throughout your yard. Evaluate your lawn to see if there is any dead or dying grass in your yard. Commonly known as thatch, this can suffocate any new growth trying to emerge. When raking, remember not to rake too hard or too deep. You could potentially rip out the existing grass which is trying to sprout.
Check Soil Levels
Test the pH in your soil to make it’s within the five to seven range. If it’s too high, adding sulfate will help to even it out. If the pH is too low, you can add lime but don’t go overboard with either additive. After you’ve watered your lawn thoroughly or post rainfall, you’ll want to perform the pH test again in a month.
Aerate
Aerating your soil is pertinent to growth, it helps to loosen up any soil which has become compacted. When this is done in the spring, the soil will be able to absorb nutrients and water better. To aerate the ground, you can use a rolling aerator, aeration shoes and walk around your yard or, a gas-powered aeration tool.
Treat Problem Areas
Spring is also the perfect time in Atlanta, GA for spot treating. You can treat both bare spots and weed spots. Keep in mind to not combine weed treatment and lawn feed. It’s better to treat the weeds and use the lawn feed on areas which don’t have the bare spots. To cover the bare spots, flush it good with water and then rake all the loose debris out. Then fill the area with sand and sprinkle the grass seed over the top.
Living in Atlanta, GA, the grass type you most likely have on your lawn is Bermuda, Centipede, St. Augustine, Tall Fescue or Zoysia. These grass types adapt very well to the hot Georgia climate. Depending on what type of grass you have, it may have shade or sunlight requirements in which these grass types may not work well with. Check out other grasses which may work well with your grass type on problem areas.
Water
After the grass seed is placed, your entire lawn is going to need hydrated. A basic sprinkler which has a timer will work perfectly to help keep your grass seed well-watered. With the heat coming on fast, make sure to check local watering restriction and plan to water accordingly.
Weed Control
To help prevent weeds from overtaking your lawn, applying pre-emergence is essential. A pre-emergent product is used to keep many types of weeds from germinating. To stop the weeds from growing during a particular time of the year, pre-emergent products are made to break down over time. So, applying them during the correct time of the year is essential. These products can be less useful, too, if implemented in a substantial foot traffic area or if there is heavier rainfall than usual. For the best results, you’ll want to apply this before the soil reaches 55 degrees.
Fertilize
Also, grass needs nutrients to grow and the warm season grasses in your lawn grow better with nitrogen fertilizer. This type of fertilizer is applied during the warm grass growing season. When the warm grass goes dormant, the uses a fertilizer which only feeds the roots is recommended.
Mow
When you mow warm weather grasses, keep the grasses about one to two inches high. But, don’t remove more than one-third of the height of the grass when mowing. If you mow too short, then you’ll see the brown roots instead of the green blades of grass of Bermuda grass. A lawn with Bermuda grass looks it’s best a couple of days after being mowed.
To prevent a buildup of debris and thatch in the lawn, bagging clippings from Bermuda and Zoysia grass when you mow is recommended. To avoid clippings, you can mow two or three times a week during the growing season.
Spring is the perfect time to prepare your lawn for the coming summer. If you need help getting into the groove of lawn care this season, visit our Atlanta lawn care page for more information!
Feature image source: Zillow
