Lackluster Lawns...

Now that the snow has melted, your lackluster lawn is showing. Want to improve the appearance of your lawn, but not sure where to start? GCH has a few spring lawn care tips to share with you.

Get out the Rake!
Spring raking removes winter debris and opens up the air spaces between grass plants allowing air to penetrate down into the crown to combat developing fungus problems. Raking also removes any dead or dying grass plants and is good for the health of the lawn.

Aerate that Lawn!
If your lawn is subjected to high levels of traffic year after year, it may eventually start to show signs of decline. In such cases, your lawn is probably suffering from compaction. Aeration is the remedy to compaction. For best results, aeration should be done once in the spring, before fertilization, and once in the fall, after de-thatching.

Toss the Seed!
Look at those bare patches! Many things cause bare patches, such as dog spots, heavy traffic or neglect. Apply grass seed to fill in those bare patches. Keep the grass seed well watered until established, and do not mow or walk on it for a month or so.

Feed the Green Beast!
Springtime calls for a fertilizer that's lighter on the nitrogen and a little heavier on the phosphorous will encourage good strong roots. Exercise restraint folks...use a light hand and a light nitrogren mix. Nitrogen-rich fertilizer will encourage outrageous top-growth to the detriment of your lawn's roots.

Mow High!
Mowing short is more stressful on grass than lighter cuts and allows the soil to dry out faster. Mowing higher allows more shade to the soil which leads to less watering; deeper roots which leads to less watering; thicker turf which leads to fewer weeds; slower growth which leads to less mowing.