Hawbaker: Don't rush lawn care

All it takes is a day or two of warm weather and everyone gets a new outlook thinking that spring is finally here. Flowers emerge from the soil with tiny little crocus flowers, soon followed by larger daffodils and early tulips. However, we soon found out that colder weather, rain and maybe even snow can still happen just a few days later.

I was fortunate to spend a week in a warmer climate where the temperatures were in the 70s and 80s all week. Flowers were blooming, pollen was falling from the trees and everything was green. One day at Disneyworld with beautiful flowers everywhere was enough to remind me how special springtime can be. But on the drive home, the landscape kept getting less and less green, more brown grass and no leaves on the trees. When I got home, it was encouraging to see some of the flower beds coming alive, at least. Guess we just have to be patient. Spring did come, according to the calendar, and soon it will be here with warmer temperatures.

One of the first signs of spring in our lawns is when the grass starts to gradually turn green from being dormant all winter. That is when some of us get overly anxious and start applying spring applications of fertilizer and even spread crabgrass prevention products. In my opinion, it is best to wait until soil temperatures warm up before applying some of these products. Most crabgrass prevention products only last a couple of months in the soil, and if you apply them in early April, they may lose their effectiveness in early June. Crabgrass does not germinate until soil temperatures reach 60 to 65 degrees, so you should have plenty of time yet to apply it.

The same reasoning applies to applying lawn fertilizer. In spring, lawns need time for root development to take place. Rushing in with heavy applications of nitrogen forces the plant to spend energy by growing leaf blades instead of strengthening the root system. I know lawns look better when they are green and lush, but that also means you have to start mowing earlier as well.

If you have bare spots in your lawn, you can do some seeding anytime during April and May. My preference is to use a combination of good, disease resistant bluegrass varieties along with some perennial turf ryegrass varieties. Try to mix them into the top inch of soil and keep them moist for at least 3 weeks for germination to take place.

Remember, do not apply crabgrass prevention products to areas where you also plan to reseed new bluegrass. Those products do not know the difference between bluegrass seed and crabgrass seed and neither of them will germinate.

Take time this spring to walk around your lawn and see where you may need to reseed or where crabgrass was a problem last year. Weeds often appear in areas where bluegrass stands are sparse. Check out flowerbeds and gradually remove mulch as temperatures increase. Check shrubs for winter injury and replace, if necessary. There are plenty of jobs to do in your lawn and garden in early spring, so take advantage of those warm days when they arrive.

Pick up sticks and debris from lawn and flowerbeds

Reseed bare spots in lawn

Watch robins hopping around your lawn

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Hawbaker: Don't rush lawn care