Spring Your Lawn Back to Life

Great tips from Westlake Hardware to refresh and renew your lawn this spring

April is a great time to refresh and renew your lawn. With last year’s extremely dry summer, it’s likely there has been some degree of damage, die back or death to your once lush lawn.

Tips for Successful Spring Lawn Renovation

• Review several varieties of grass seed to determine which is best for your individual conditions. Kentucky Bluegrass offers a beautiful green color, but is not as hearty and pest resistant as Tall Fescue. Fine Fescue may be better for shaded areas.

• Once the soil has warmed up to between 50° and 65° degrees F, follow these steps:

• Aerating – Aeration alleviates soil compaction and allows oxygen and water to sink deeply into the root zone and promote healthy grass growth.

• Lime the soil – Grass likes high pH levels for healthy growth (between 7.0 to 8.0), so do a soil test and determine if the PH in the soil is lower than 7.0. If so, you will need to add pelletized lime (at the recommended rate) to your lawn.

• Overseed –Use a seed spreader or manually distribute seed throughout the yard – over both dry spots and green spots to thicken the turf. Consult the seed package for application rates.

• Water, water, water – While grass seed is germinating, keep the soil moist and stay off the seeded area.
• Starter fertilizer – After seeding, treat the soil with starter fertilizer. Do not use “weed and feed” fertilizer, as this will inhibit seed germination. Once the grass is established, treat it again in early June with a high nitrogen fertilizer to encourage additional growth.