What to Expect from Spring Lawn Care in Cleveland
By Rick Pietrick
During early spring, the lawn is just waking up from the winter’s cold. The sun is warming the soil and the plant is beginning to grow again. After a long winter off, the plant is in need of nutrients to help push new green growth. In Cleveland, Ohio, our feeding season begins once the weather breaks from winter in early March. This is the proper time to apply your spring fertilizer.
Why do I need to apply spring fertilizer so early?
The lawn needs food. It has had a long winter off. All those brownish/yellow areas need to be pushed by the fertilizer to grow new green spring grass.
Pre-emergents
Spring is the correct time to apply pre-emergents to block the weed and crabgrass seed in the lawn. If put down at the proper time, pre-emergents will significantly cut back on the number of weeds and crabgrass in your lawn.
What happens if I don’t?
Those brown and yellow areas on your lawn will linger while the neighboring lawns green up to a nice deep spring green.
Because no spring pre-emergent was applied, your lawn will be vulnerable to weeds and crabgrass.
What can I expect from my first visit?
The technician will make sure the property is:
- Clean of fall debris (sticks and leaves)
- Not holding water in any areas from melting snow or spring rain
Then, a pre-emergent spring fertilizer will be applied to the entire yard. This application will contain a good boost of nitrogen that the plant will use to create new green growth. It also will create a crabgrass and weed seed blocking barrier to prevent these problems during summer. Maybe you did a seeding last fall and are concerned with its growth in spring? Or you are thinking of seeding this spring? We can also apply a high-quality spring fertilizer without a pre-emergent that will encourage new growth and not inhibit seed growth during spring.
Upon finishing, the technician should blow off all hard surfaces of excess fertilizer. Now your lawn is fed and protected from crabgrass and weed germination. Allow the plant to process the fertilizer and enjoy the results!
Your early spring fertilizer application is one of the most important visits of the year. It starts the plant growing with a healthy boost of nutrients and also sets up the foundation of your weed control program for the year with the pre-emergent.
That being said, a lot of lawn care companies in Cleveland will try to apply in conditions not suitable for a “proper” application. To get the best results from your spring visit, make sure the lawn is clean of debris and without standing water. You will also want to make sure the lawn is dry enough to walk on without damaging the turf. If these simple tips are followed, you will be on the right track for a healthy lawn this spring!
