April Showers - FINALLY!

The April showers have arrived just in time. A couple more days and many lawns would have gone into “summer drought stress” long before summer arrives. The forecast for this week calls for cool weather and more showers throughout the week. With temperatures averaging in the 50’s we’re finally getting the spring weather our lawns need!

Many lawns started to green up but without rain or watering, they have just been sitting there waiting to grow. New seedling turf hasn’t done much. Any seeding done up to now hasn’t had much chance to sprout. And many trees and shrubs have been in a kind of suspended animation waiting to see if there was going to be spring or if we were jumping right into summer.

A week from now those lawns that were starting to go dormant will be beaming with color. The fertilizer that was applied during the past weeks will release and grass will start growing with the normal spring surge.

If you haven’t had a chance to service your lawn mower, you probably only have a few more days to get the blades sharpened and the oil changed. Spring mowing will be starting up again real soon!!

When you do start your mowing routine, remember that the ideal mowing height is 2 ½ to 3 inches. And don’t ever cut off more than 1/3 of the blade. (If the grass gets out of control, raise your mower height and cut it back in stages over the course of a couple days.) Proper mowing at this time of year helps to promote denser turf and suppresses many weeds.

Plan your mowing schedule so you can mow frequently enough to leave the clippings down on the lawn.  Clippings DO NOT make thatch, but they do return nutrients to the soil and add organic matter to your lawn.

After the showers pass, it will be time to plan your watering schedule for the spring season. As long as the weather stays cool with temperatures in the 60’s or even the 70’s, most lawns will be fine with watering only once or twice a week if there are no showers. Wait until the summer weather comes before you start a summer watering schedule. If you need help to figure out the best watering plan, just give us a call.

We still need about 6 inches more rain to get caught up from the deficit of this spring. Let’s hope we’re back into a normal weather pattern!