My Recipe for Early Spring Lawn Care

1.            Rake off the winter debris.  Use a leaf or ‘fan’ rake to do this and do not put yourself or your back out.  All you are trying to do is remove the loose stuff that remains from winter and get the grass blades to stand on end, allowing air to circulate through the crowns of the grass plants.  The circulating air will discourage disease.

2.            Aerate if necessary, but it is not always necessary to aerate. It is only helpful to aerate your lawn if there are patches that receive heavy foot traffic. Or if you grow your lawn on heavy clay with a shallow layer of top soil for grass plants to root in.

3.            Fertilize. Apply a good quality lawn fertilizer this time of year that is high in nitrogen (your lawn craves nitrogen more than any other element right now).  Choose a fertilizer that contains a reliable slow release nitrogen ingredient.  I only use Golfgreen Lawn Fertilizer on my lawn.

4.            White powdery mildew? This is snow mould and there never was a need to spray for it – just rake your lawn as per step #1 and Mother Nature will take care of it as temperatures rise and breezes blow.