Birkey’s Mower Tips Part 2: Get the Most Out of Your Yard
Mowing season is here and your mower is fully prepared to give your lawn a professional-looking cut. You’ve followed all the steps outlined by Birkey’s to get your mower ready, but are you ready? If you are serious about having the healthiest lawn possible, then you have to put in the work. Avid mowers often say the easiest way to a healthy lawn is to consistently mow at least two times per week. Much like how working out your body forces muscles to grow, mowing often forces grass to grow. But what if just mowing is not enough? What if your yard needs more? This article will provide you with the knowledge to transform your brown, patchy, weed-infested yard into a luscious lawn your friends and neighbors will envy.
Before you begin, you need to know the size of your yard. If you don’t already know, Measure My Lawn is a great tool to use. It allows you to use a satellite image of your address to create an outline of your property. You can also subtract buildings or the driveway to get a more accurate square foot measurement. This is important because it will tell you how much product you will need at each step.
Throughout the entire process of growing and maintaining your lawn, it’s recommended you use fertilizers. Choosing the right fertilizer can make a huge difference in how well your grass may grow. But how do you know which one is right for you? Test your soil. A soil test will tell you the pH level, alkalinity, or acidity of the soil. Grass tends to grow best in slightly acidic soil (6.0 to 6.5pH). The test will also show levels of nutrients in the soil like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium; or NPK, as it’s referred to in fertilizers.
These 3 nutrients play an important role in developing your lawn:
Nitrogen (N) – Aids in grass growth
Phosphorus (P) – Promotes root growth
Potassium (K) – Helps grass withstand stress, drought, and disease
When choosing a fertilizer, you will see three numbers on the bag. These are the NPK percentages in the fertilizer. This is why soil testing can be crucial to choosing the proper fertilizer. Knowing the amount of each nutrient needed will allow you to select the best fertilizer for your yard. Now, you can start creating your ideal lawn.
How do you start? – Start with adding grass seed to the areas of your lawn in which grass is not growing, or is coming in too thin. This probably seems obvious, but it is still an important part of the process. Next, you’ll want to use a starter fertilizer with a basic 12-12-12 NPK mix. The addition of the starter fertilizer will help the growing process by adding nutrients into the soil.
Three-part treatment – Once overnight temperatures are consistently above 45 degrees and the soil temperatures are 50-55 degrees, it’s time to start ridding your yard of weeds. If you are unsure of your soil temperature, you can find that information on websites like this one. Another way to tell if it’s warm enough for weeds to appear is if Forsythia is beginning to bloom.
Crabgrass germinates at 55 degrees, so this is a good time to use a crabgrass pre-emergent. Ideally, a crabgrass preventer should not contain fertilizer, but it may be difficult to find one without it at a local home improvement store. Spread crabgrass preventer throughout your grass, avoiding shady areas because crabgrass does not typically grow in shady areas. Don’t add grass seed if you are using a crabgrass pre-emergent because it will affect the seed too.
This is also an opportune time to spot spray weeds. Walk your yard in straight lines, in a grid-like pattern, to avoid potentially missing weeds. Hold the sprayer nozzle at about knee height so smaller droplets will hit the weeds, making it easier for them to absorb the weed killer. Only spray spots where a weed is growing.
Use a broadcast spreader to distribute the fertilizer you chose based on your soil samples, throughout your entire lawn. The fertilizer will increase the health of the soil, improving water retention and encouraging the growth of your grass. The range at which the spreader will deliver the fertilizer will vary from brand to brand, so it is important to find out the range of your broadcast spreader ahead of time to prevent hitting the same spot too often. While applying fertilizer with the spreader, you should be walking at a quick pace to ensure optimal delivery. Start by walking the outskirts of your lawn, keeping a couple of feet between the spreader and the edge of your grass. This will prevent you from wasting fertilizer by keeping it from being spread into any roads or sidewalks.
Once you enter June – Apply more fertilizer to your lawn. It’s more important to get iron into the soil than it is nitrogen at this point. In the event of brown patches of grass, you will want to apply more starter fertilizer. Be sure to water these areas 2-3 times per week; ideally, up to ½” of water each time. This is also the best time of the year to treat your lawn with an insect killer; as well as, spot spraying weeds where needed. Many insect killers offer up to 3 months of protection from a wide variety of unwanted pests, like grub worms.
Summer challenges – The heat and dryness of summer can cause issues when it comes to lawn care. It’s recommended that you raise the level of your mower deck to allow grass to grow taller. You should also cut back on the number of times you mow to prevent stress on your lawn. If the weather has been excessively dry, it’s a good idea to water the grass often.
September opportunities – Most likely, the heat of summer has not been kind to your lawn. Much like in the earlier steps, if there are brown spots, you will want to add more starter fertilizer. In some cases, you may need to add more grass seed. Spot spray weeds again if necessary, focusing on eliminating clover—the best time for this is after it has flowered.
Early October transformations – With any luck, your lawn has recovered from summer’s challenges. This is a great time to aerate your yard. If you don’t have an aerator, you can rent one or hire a landscaping company. An aerator punctures the soil to release compaction, which allows air, water, and nutrients to reach your grass’s roots. Compacted soil can occur due to heat and low moisture levels, and can cause grass to lose its vibrant color. Directly after you aerate, overseed with a full sun seed, which should be applied 5 lbs. per 1,000 square feet. If you have any dead areas, rake out 70% of the dead grass before adding a heavy amount of grass seed. Then cover the newly seeded area with a very thin layer of peat moss or, ideally, a lawn repair mix. Immediately after this, use a full dose of fertilizer. Water it every day for about 20 minutes for 30 days, or as often as you can with help from the rain. Once the 30 days have passed, apply another full dose of fertilizer.
If you are serious about transforming your yard into a lush, verdant lawn, this guide will help you. Following these suggestions will give your lawn a healthy look and prepare it for next spring.
Let us know how it’s going by sharing your lawn photos with @birkeysfarmstore.