As soon as there is no danger of frost in spring, it is time to start the lawn care. After winter, lawns need extra intensive care, and spring is perfect for verticutting, fertilizing and reseeding. Due to the cold and snow, many lawns are compacted and need air to breathe, making spring lawn care an especially important time of year.
The right cutting height for the lawn in spring
When mowing the lawn in spring, a healthy cutting height of about five to six centimeters should be maintained, as the lawn should be sufficiently protected from the last night frosts. Once the lawn has reached a growth height of seven centimeters, it is time for the first lawn cut. Regular lawn care through regular mowing promotes growth and the formation of strong, densely branched lawn grasses. While the lawn enjoys the mowing, weeds and moss suffer from the regular disturbance. So if you mow consistently from the start, you give your lawn a big head start over competing growth. However, it is important to mow the lawn as dry as possible, which can sometimes be difficult in the spring to find the right time to keep up with weekly mowing.
Regular mowing promotes the growth of lawn grasses
Verticutting is an important step in spring lawn care when the lawn is heavily matted or infested with moss. However, it is a major operation that cuts into the turf and can cause unnecessary damage to lawn grasses. Therefore, dethatching should only be done when it is really necessary. If the lawn is free of weeds, you can simply leave the verticutter aside.
Verticutting — the spring-cleaning for lawns
Ideally, verticutting should be done about two weeks after the first fertilization, when the lawn grasses have already started to grow. To ensure that lawn grasses are not unnecessarily damaged during this procedure, they should have already been mowed once or twice. Depending on the weather, it may take a few weeks longer before you can begin this fourth step of the lawn care routine in the spring. For a clean result, it is recommended to verticut both lengthwise and crosswise.
Aeration — the important step for the perfect lawn care in the spring
To aerate your lawn — an important step for perfect lawn care in the spring, but many are not aware of it. Aeration is just as important as verticutting to give the lawn a perfect start to the new season. Aerification involves poking the soil with hollow tines a few inches apart and pulling out “plugs.” These plugs are then removed, and the entire area is sanded with quartz sand (0.5–1.5 mm) in an amount of about 5 liters per square meter. This fills the resulting holes and improves the soil structure.
Lime the lawn in March after mowing
A healthy lawn ideally has a pH between 5.5 and 6.5. If this value is lower, the lawn can no longer absorb many nutrients from the soil and fertilizing will not have the desired effect. Moss, on the other hand, thrives in acidic soil with a low pH and spreads easily as the weakened lawn grasses make way for it. By liming, you increase the pH of the soil and make it uncomfortable for the moss.
Before you decide to liming your lawn, you should consider three aspects:
- First measure, then liming. Liming your lawn to control moss only makes sense if the pH is actually too low. Do not lime without first measuring the pH of the soil, so as not to unnecessarily disturb the balance in the garden soil.
- Lime is not a quick fix: important tips for liming the lawn. It takes several months for the desired effect of pH regulation by lime to occur. In addition, it takes a lot of water for the lime to dissolve completely. Therefore, we recommend that you lime the lawn already in autumn, so that the effect can unfold by spring. Watering in is done by nature itself. Of course, it is still possible to apply the lime only in the spring. However, it is important to note that lime is not a quick fix and patience is required to maintain a healthy.
- Liming in the spring? Scarify beforehand! If you want to lime your lawn in spring, be sure to scarify it beforehand. Otherwise, the lime granules will remain for a long time only on top of the thick layer of moss, and it will take a lot of water for them to reach the soil and take effect. Pre-scarifying removes the moss layer and allows the lime granules to penetrate directly into the soil and work their magic.
Fertilizing the lawn in spring — nutrients for a healthy lawn
In spring, the lawn needs additional nutrients after the winter months, as the nutrients stored in the grasses are usually depleted. It is therefore advisable to support the lawn with appropriate fertilizers. However, fertilizing should be postponed until March, when no more frosts are expected. Especially after reseeding, slow-release fertilizers with a higher content of long-acting nitrogen are ideal for healthy lawn growth. Use the right fertilizer to maintain a beautiful and healthy lawn.
Re-seeding the lawn — repairing bare patches
After scarifying, larger bare patches in the lawn should be reseeded immediately. Otherwise, weeds and moss will quickly have the opportunity to spread in the gaps again. When reseeding in spring, it is advisable to use a special seed mixture that germinates reliably even in unfavorable weather conditions. Otherwise, too much rain or low temperatures can cause the seed to rot or not emerge at all.
Uneven areas in the lawn can also be repaired in spring. Holes caused by the activities of voles can be filled in and directly reseeded in the same operation. To promote the germination of new lawn seeds, the soil should be kept permanently moist. It is advisable to water the lawn regularly.
If the lawn repair is a challenge for you, and you have no idea where to start, this detailed article in our blog is highly recommended.
Checklist for optimal lawn care in the spring:
- Perform a clean-up cut with the lawn mower (reduce max. 1/3 of the blade length).
- Scarify and remove the scarified material if the lawn is heavily matted or has many brown spots.
- Aerify and then sand to loosen the soil and improve soil structure.
- Close gaps and reseed the entire area if the lawn is sparse to compact the turf.
- Fertilize with a special spring fertilizer with higher phosphorus content that promotes root growth.
- Lime once a year to ensure optimum nutrient availability. This can be done as part of the first fertilization.
- Water in vigorously after fertilizing to avoid burning the lawn.
- In addition to spring fertilization, fertilize twice more a year (once in summer and once in fall) to provide needed nutrients.
