Prepare for a Greener Summer Lawn

The holidays are here, your family is together in your warm home, and you gaze out your twinkling light-lined window and see… a patchy, weedy, brown lawn. If you’re dreading staring at your not-so-green lawn for the rest of the season and into the warmer months, now is the time to start thinking about taking action. Our team at Nature’s Select^® knows that the key to a great lawn in the summer is to start on lawn care now, before grass growth begins in warmer weather.

Soil Test

A soil test is the best place to begin, and should be done at least every two or three years for established lawns. If you suspect nutrient imbalances, more advanced testing can reveal specific nutrient deficiencies or excesses. Ask at your local garden center for information on testing kits; many are free or low-cost and come with recommendations for correcting any problems that may be discovered.

Applications

Most soils in the Piedmont are acidic, so lime application is almost always beneficial for cool-season grasses. Lime is made available in the soil very slowly so, unlike applications of fertilizer or iron, results will be apparent over time rather than in a few days. Also unlike fertilizers, lime can safely be applied at any time of year.

However, warm-season grasses like Bermuda grass, centipede grass, and zoysia should not be fertilized until the warmer months when they have turned green and are actively growing (usually April). Fertilizer application to warm-season grasses during colder months can result in cold damage.

Weeding

Keeping weeds out of the lawn also starts now, and you don’t want to fall behind as prevention is easier than managing weeds later. Applying a pre-emergent herbicide between February and April will stop crabgrass and many other weeds from making an appearance in the spring.

Maintenance and care during the winter months can pay off in a beautiful lawn for you to enjoy next summer. No matter the season, Nature's Select^® is ready to help you with all your traditional lawn care and select lawn care needs in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Our biological products are effective, eco-friendly, and easy on pollinators. Contact us today at (888) 786-9735 or request your free estimate online anytime.