Seasonal Updates from Nature's Select^®

The first application of the year goes down before soil temperature reaches 55°F at depth, pairing pre-emergent crabgrass control with the first biological fertility input of the year. A follow-up visit lands 4 to 6 weeks later with a pre-emergent follow-up, post-emergent weed control, and another biological and fertilization input for the active growing period. Both visits include an assessment that notes pressure levels and what to expect through summer.

Timing splits by grass type. Cool-season fescue is actively growing and takes fertility early in the season. Warm-season lawns are still dormant through the early part of spring and do not receive fertilizer until just before their growing season starts, which lands later in the season than it does on fescue. Pre-emergent weed control goes down on both.

Inspect your mower blade for sharpness and raise the cutting height for cool-season fescue to 4 inches. Check the irrigation system before summer arrives; replace heads that drift off pattern. Plant trees, shrubs, and flowers once the threat of frost has passed (typically after mid-April in the Piedmont area), but hold off on planting new grass until fall. Mulch trees and shrubs to a 2-3 inch depth, keeping mulch off the trunk and root flare.

Mid-summer applications deliver biological maintenance inputs that keep the microbial community active despite heat stress, plus checks for early signs of brown patch on fescue and chinch bug pressure on warm-season turf. A late-summer visit follows, before the fall transition, with biological inputs focused on balancing soil pH. On warm-season lawns, aeration wraps up at the end of this stretch. Both visits include heat-stress observations and, when needed, a targeted disease or insect response applied at the lowest effective rate. The technician notes irrigation effectiveness based on what the lawn is showing.

Water thoroughly and infrequently. Soil should dry between waterings to encourage deep roots, with morning watering preferred so leaf surfaces dry before the hot afternoon. Mow to the correct height per grass type: tall fescue 4 inches, zoysia 1 to 2 inches, hybrid bermuda 1 to 1.5 inches, common bermuda 2 inches. Change mowing direction each cut for even growth. Leave clippings on the lawn to feed the microbial community.

Fall fertilization helps the turf recover from summer stress, and on cool-season lawns this visit is aligned with aeration and overseeding. Our custom-blended, certified seed guarantees weed-free purity and a superior germination rate. A follow-up visit applies a nutrient-rich root-development fertilization to help new and existing turf establish deeper roots.

Warm-season lawns follow a different fall track. They receive a fall pre-emergent that mitigates germination of poa annua and other winter annual grassy weeds, along with a potassium-focused fertilizer that strengthens cellular structure and improves resiliency as the lawn prepares for dormancy.

Water the new seed frequently for the first two weeks after overseeding. Once seedlings establish, taper to the deep-and-infrequent pattern. Remove fallen leaves from fescue lawns promptly, since sustained leaf cover blocks light, hindering germination and inviting disease pressure. Plant spring bulbs now for color after winter. Give trees and shrubs a final deep watering before the cold arrives.

The final visit of the year lands in mid-to-late winter, and what goes down depends on grass type. Warm-season lawns are the ones that go dormant. They receive a calcium-focused feeding that balances soil pH so the soil can use the nutrients added throughout the year. Cool-season lawns do not go dormant, and they receive a Winterizer, a nitrogen-focused feeding that gives the lawn what it needs to hold its color through the winter.

The visit also reviews soil and lawn condition heading into spring and sets the technician's notes for the first visit of the following year. The Biological Tree & Shrub Program (5 yearly visits) typically applies dormant oil during this window, smothering overwintering scale, mites, and other pests before spring leaf-out.

Prune dormant deciduous trees and most shrubs during winter, with one important exception: do not prune spring-blooming plants (azalea, dogwood, forsythia) until after they flower, or you remove next spring's blooms. Check mulch depth on trees and shrubs and refresh as needed. Inspect tools, sharpen mower blades, and plan any spring landscape additions while pricing is favorable.

Pre-emergent applications target soil temperature at 4-inch depth, not air temperature. Crabgrass germination begins once soil reaches 55°F at depth, typically late February through early April in North Carolina. Applying too early leads to late season breakthrough; applying too late misses the germination window. Nature's Select^® ensures your first visit each year falls in the proper time window.

The exact timing varies year to year based on winter conditions. Visit 1 of the 7 applications of our Biological Lawn Care Program will occur before soil temperatures reach the crabgrass germination threshold.

The fescue aeration and overseeding window opens when soil temperature drops below 70°F at the surface, typically September through October. Aerating earlier can stress the lawn and dry the cores too fast without sufficient irrigation.. Overseeding outside the window reduces germination rate and increases failure risk. Warm-season lawns (bermuda, zoysia, centipede) aerate in summer instead.

Yes. Visit 7 of the program lands in mid-to-late winter and applies a winterizer matched to the soil and turf profile of your lawn. The Biological Tree & Shrub Program typically applies dormant oil in this window to suppress overwintering scale, mites, and other pests before spring leaf-out. Mid-to-late winter at the beginning of a calendar year, is also when Visit 1 of the following year is scheduled.

Water thoroughly and infrequently. Soil should dry between waterings, overwatering invites disease and shallow rooting. Morning watering is preferred so leaf surfaces dry before the hot afternoon, reducing brown patch pressure on fescue. Lawns under a biological program perform better with proper irrigation but the program itself does not require irrigation to work. The Nature's Select^® assessment notes irrigation effectiveness based on what the lawn shows.