Early spring is when lawns usually look their worst. They are slowly transitioning out of dormancy into the growing season. Over the winter the lawn has lost a lot of mass. It has shed a third of its root system and lost some of its density above ground over the winter. It takes several weeks for the lawn to recover everything it has lost over the winter to be where it was at the end of the growing season last year.
Some areas of the lawn may come out of dormancy sooner than others which tends to give the lawn a “patchy“ appearance. If portions of the lawn appear to be brown instead of green right now, there is no need to panic, they still may very well be alive but just have not merged from dormancy yet.
The key is to have patience. Don’t try to push the lawn out of dormancy too quickly with watering and fertilizing. The root system of the grass is not able to utilize the water and fertilizer early in the spring. Watering and fertilizing too early is at best a waste, and at worst causes damage to your lawn.
As the temperatures warm up, give the lawn just enough water to keep it out of drought stress. Wait until temperatures are in the mid-80s before applying any spring fertilizer with nitrogen. Usually by mid May, the lawn will be back to where it was at the end of last growing season.
Are you having problems keeping your grass healthy? Contact me for a FREE LAWN CONSULTATION! PM, call or text me at 850-240-7935
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