Everywhere lush lawns are shedding their winter coats and going green. Unless your lawn looks like mine--a patchy, thatchy, nasty mess.
I live in a neighborhood where people display their beautiful yards like a badge of honor. Then you get to our home at the end of the cul-de-sac. I just as well have a couple of rusted out junk cars parked in front of the door and Christmas lights hanging from the roof—that's how much our sketchy tufts of grass stand out.
I consulted Tom Winking, owner of Wink's Lawn Service in Monroe City. He's been in the lawn care business 27 years, so he knows his stuff when it comes to grass. I asked him what homeowners need to do to get their lawns looking their best this spring, and he broke it down to 3 steps:
Aerate your lawn to de-thatch and loosen soil compaction
Fertilize and apply a pre-emergent to prevent crabgrass
Treat with a broadleaf control weeds like dandelion and clover
It sounds simple enough I guess, but you have to factor in variables. For instance, Winking says it's best to be familiar with your soil so you know the best combination of nitrogen-phosphate-potash to apply. For Hannibal, he recommends 20-4-10. In the Quincy area, he says go with a 15-4-10. Now, you can seed grass in the spring, unless you've applied certain chemicals. Fall seeding is your better bet~and the soil temperature has to be right for germination.
Too keep track of all the work that needs to be done for optimum results, you might try this website. It has everything in one convenient location. Or, you could hire a professional if you have enough green to keep your grass green.
Take care ~Sarah D.
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