Create a High-Performance Lawn This Spring

If you’re like us, you take real pride in your lawn. Keeping it lush and green takes a little effort but it’s definitely worth it. Follow the steps below and you’ll be on your way to creating a lawn that looks good and can survive despite summer heat, dry weather and weekend touch football games.

Step 1: Determine Your Grass Type
Over 32 million acres of grass grows in the U.S., in lots of different varieties. You should know the type of grass you have so you can buy the right products and follow the best advice to keep it healthy.

If you live in the northern part of the country you probably have a cool-season grass, like Kentucky Bluegrass, Tall Fescue, Fine Fescues, or Bentgrass. If you're a southerner, you probably have a warm-season grass, like Bermuda, St. Augustine, Bahia, Centipede, Carpet, Zoysia or Buffalo.

Many people aren't quite sure just which variety - or varieties - are growing right in their own backyards. We recommend visiting the Scotts® website, it has a handy online reference tool; complete with photos that will help you make a positive ID. Just pluck a few blades of grass and click here.

< back to top

Step 2: Feed Your Lawn: Menus Vary by Region
Fertilizing is essential for a thick green turf. Most lawns should be fed four to five times each year - the first time when you first mow, and the last time when the grass is finished growing for the year. It's especially important to fertilize from early spring through summer when grass is in its peak growing mode. If you live in a part of the country where grass grows all year, fertilize your lawn year-round.

But what type of fertilizer should you buy? Fertilizers come in lots of different varieties to meet different lawn care needs. They include specific ratios of three primary nutrients -- nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K), expressed as an N-P-K formula like 5-10-5.

You may need one or more varieties of fertilizer, depending on your grass type, soil condition, climate, time of year and desired results. Generally, in early spring (February through April) lawns are starting to come back to life after the winter months. A good spring feeding strengthens their roots and prepares them for the growing season ahead. In most regions of the country, it's best to apply a combination fertilizer with pre-emergent (in lay terms, a chemical that prevents weeds from growing) to control crabgrass.

Late spring/early summer (May and June) is the time your lawn is actively growing, so it needs regular feeding to keep it nourished and healthy. But grass isn't the only thing taking root - broadleaf weeds are also vying for lawn space - so use a combination fertilizer with broadleaf weed control.

Here are two examples of the different needs of lawns in two different parts of the country, Bangor, Maine and Fort Lauderdale, Florida:

Lawn in the crisp climates of Bangor thrive with an early spring application of Scotts® Lawn Pro® Crabgrass Preventer Plus Fertilizer, followed by Scotts® Lawn Pro® Step™ 2 Weed Control Plus Fertilizer in late spring and early summer.
If you live in tropical Fort Lauderdale, your lawn will respond to a good application of Scotts® Crabgrass Preventer in early spring. When late spring and early summer roll around, switch to Scotts® Lawn Pro® Super Turf Builder® with Plus 2™ Weed Control.

To find out which fertilizers are best for your lawn's specific needs, just go to your local True Value store and ask your True Value garden expert for recommendations. You can also get custom fertilizer advice without leaving home. Scotts® Annual Lawn Care Program is an online tool for year-round lawn advice, tailored to your zip code and grass type. You'll find it here.

< back to top

Spread it around. Based on the size of your lawn and how accurate you want to be, select either a drop spreader or a rotary spreader. A drop spreader drops the fertilizer directly on your lawn, and works great if you have a smaller lawn or want to avoid getting fertilizer on flowerbeds or vegetable gardens. A rotary spreader throws fertilizer in a wide swath - it's faster, especially if you have a lot of area to cover, but not as accurate.

Step 3: Aerate and “Dress” Your Lawn
Aeration is the process of punching holes in the soil to remove cores of soil, thatch and grass. This allows fertilizer, air and water to get closer to the roots to stimulate their growth for a healthier lawn. Soil should be moist - not wet -- when you aerate. In the south, aerate your lawn in the spring. Northerners, aerate in the fall.

After you run the aerating machine over your lawn, you'll see plugs deposited all over it. Let them dry for a day or two and then rake or mow the lawn to break them up - they're great for your lawn.

Step 4: Patching Bare Spots
You have a couple of options here. If you're using lawn seed - make sure it's top quality - use a rake to loosen the soil. You can also buy lawn patches that consist of seed mixed with newspaper. Whichever you use, be sure to cover all bare areas, then water thoroughly. Keep the area moist until the seed germinates and don't let it dry out - you may need to water once or twice a day.

< back to top

Step 5: Mowing
Do not cut the new grass until it reaches a height of four inches. Never cut off too much - 2 1/2” at most - and try to leave more than you cut. But don't let the grass get too tall either, or you'll stress the plants when you mow and encourage disease. Sharp mower blades make a clean cut, so sharpen your blades at least twice a year.

To rake or not to rake? If you mow your lawn frequently, you can leave the clippings right where they are. They will function as a free, high-nutrient mulch. But don't leave heavy layers of clippings on the lawn. Instead, use them as mulch for a vegetable garden or add them to your compost pile.

Step 6: Watering
Your lawn needs about 1” of water per week, preferably early in the day to avoid evaporation. Avoid watering late in the evening to prevent fungus.

How thirsty is your lawn? If your lawn looks silvery blue instead of green - and you leave footprints when you walk across it - its time to water.

How long should you run your sprinkler? Water too much and you'll increase the number of weeds. Water too little and you'll bring the roots to the surface and make your lawn less drought-resistant. One inch of water is best, so determine how much your sprinkler delivers in an hour. Here's a simple way to check:

Place three empty tin cans on your lawn.
Run your sprinkler for an hour.
Empty the water from the three cans into one can and measure the depth.
Divide by three to obtain how much water your sprinkler delivers per hour.

To avoid wasting water - and make sure you use just the right amount—purchase a watering timer and install it at the hose bib.

Congratulations, you're on your way to a lush, green lawn.
Just follow the steps we've outlined and your lawn will be a source of pride and the perfect complement to your home sweet home. Now, if you can just keep the kids off the lawn for the first few weeks!

For more projects, go to TrueValue.com. >

< back to top

print project | email