Spring is here and that means our lawn care technicians have been busy with the first applications of the season. First applications are done from now until mid-April, depending on the weather. So, if you haven’t received a visit yet, you will soon.
Many of your lawns will receive fertilizer, pre-emergent crabgrass control, and some spot weed control in your first application. If you are on our natural program, it will be natural fertilizer only. This first application does not need to be watered in to be effective. It will start working to help your turf green up once we have more consistent warm weather.
Lawn Care FAQs – Application 1
What do I need to do before my first application?
Largely, nothing at all. If you have a lot of leaves or debris, that should be picked up before your first application. If you choose, you can lightly rake your lawn, either before or after your first application.
My landscaper likes to dethatch. Is it ok to have my application first?
No. Many of your first applications will contain pre-emergent crabgrass control. Basically, we are putting down a barrier to stop crabgrass from germinating. It’s the easiest way to control crabgrass. Your landscaper’s dethatching will ruin that barrier. We do not typically recommend dethatching. It’s unnecessary for most lawns, and can actually pull out beneficial grass.
I have all of these tunneled areas in my lawn. What is that? Can you help?
During the winter, especially when there is snow, small rodents (i.e., mice, moles, and voles) will tunnel under your grass to find some food. These tunnels may make your lawn look yellow. Often, those areas affected by the tunnels will recover on their own.
I’d like to reseed my lawn this spring. Will your applications help?
We do not usually recommend seeding in the spring unless your lawn is more dirt than turf. April showers bring May flowers and spring seeding brings crabgrass and weeds. We can’t control crabgrass if you seed in the spring Yes, there are products you can buy that claim to control crabgrass when seeding. They are very expensive and work less than half of the time, so we don’t use them.
If you seed in the spring your lawn will compete with crabgrass all season. Crabgrass usually wins. However, if you really want to seed, wait until after our first application. Then, in those areas, you want to seed, rake up the soil well. Adding topsoil is even better. That will destroy the pre-emergent barrier and your seed should germinate. Please call us and let us know if you have seeded so we can avoid applying products that may harm your seedlings. Fall remains the best time to seed.
My lawn has some weird whitish/yellow spots. What’s that?
Snow mold is a condition that we often see at this time of the year. When we have some snow that sticks around for a bit, mold can grow under it. That mold makes parts of your lawn look yellow or white and matted. Thankfully, snow mold can be resolved by lightly raking your lawn. As the lawn starts to grow again this season the problem will go away.
I have a sodded lawn. Why isn’t it as green as my neighbors’ grass?
Sodded lawns take longer to green up than regular turf lawns. Sod comes to your lawn from pristine, carefully controlled, highly managed sod farms. That’s why it looks so amazing when it’s first put down! Sod tends to be sluggish in the spring as it wakes up for the year. It will be looking green as we have longer, warmer days.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to give us a call at 1-800-294-5296 or send an email to email@seascapeinc.com. We are so happy that spring is finally here and we can get back to making your lawn healthy.
It’s not too late to sign up for a lawn care program. Sign up for your FREE, no-obligation estimate today.