CLEAN DEBRIS & IDENTIFY YOUR GRASS
Firstly, your yard could use a little TLC (tender lawn care), so go ahead and clear off any twigs or leaves left from the winter and lightly rake any areas that were once heavily covered with snow to avoid "snow mold"- as the fungus grows in very moist environments.
Your lawn is probably a mix of Kentucky blue grass, perennial rye, or fescue. They are "cool-season" grasses, growing most actively in the spring and fall. If you're unsure of your grass type, we'd be happy to help identify it!
It's important to know what grass-species so you can buy the right kind to fill bare spots!
TREAT PROBLEM AREAS
Here's a couple things to keep in mind... Weeds: Treat any visible weeds with a post-emergent or physically remove them. BUT let's not stop there, use a pre-emergent between April-May. This helps keep your lawn weed free of crabgrass for the summer months, where post-emergence may not do so well with the summer heat.
Bare Spots: Clear these areas of any debris (including dead grass!). If you're unable to easily stick a screwdriver in the soil, you'll want to aerate the soil, perhaps with a metal rake. You'll need to add top soil, plant sprigs or sod slabs, and regularly water to fill them with vibrant green grass.
FERTILIZE
Once your grass has turned green again, around May, you can begin to apply a controlled-release fertilizer - one higher in nitrogen (side note: nitrogen is the first number on the bag). Make sure to follow the proper dosage on the bag as you don't want to over fertilize and "burn" your grass. We do recommend a soil test as this will tell you exactly what your lawn needs.
WATER CONSISTENTLY
It is so, so, so important that you water your lawn consistently, several times per week. You need to apply about 1" of water every week to keep your lawn happy and healthy.
BEGIN MOWING
Once your grass is about 3" , you can begin mowing regularly. Don't mow more than 1/3 of the grass blade, as you may expose the roots and weaken the grass.
ENJOY YOUR LAWN!
One of the best ways to be aware of the health of your lawn is to enjoy it regularly - you’ll notice when a problem begins to crop up if you’re spending a lot of time outside! We specialize in regular maintenance of lawns in your area for a great outdoor experience.
Created with info from University of Wisconsin-Madison https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/wisconsin-lawn-care-calender.
