Kicking Off Spring Lawn Work - Time for Crabgrass Preventer
We’re starting spring a little bit later than last year; winter has lasted a long time. This year I’m going to really have to fight the temptation to buy as much lawn stuff since we’re starting the process of pool planning for the back yard. But this should give me a good opportunity to focus on making our front yard look really good.
The lawn had one solid year of my Earl May fertilizer program, and as it was starting to come in, it’s greener and more vibrant than the neighbors, which means the fall lawn food did its thing. Looking along the property line you can really see the difference. I took this photo a week ago, and it's already greened up even more. If you followed my advice last year, hopefully you’re seeing the same. My neighbor’s yard ends up looking good eventually, but since I waited to fertilize until my last mow in November, the fertilizer is working how it should. When you hire a company to fertilize for you, they control the schedule. The nice fall weather lasted longer than normal last year so I was able to control when I put it on.
Since spring is coming in slow, I’ve waited to get my lawn program purchased and my Crabgrass Preventer put down. Some years this can go on as early as mid-March but I just put this on yesterday.
Check out my blog post from last year to learn what lawn program I recommend and why I think it’s the best for lawns in the Midwest, and why if you do nothing else, you should put down Crabgrass Preventer: https://www.foreverhomefix.com/post/how-to-get-a-better-greener-lawn-step-1-apply-crabgrass-preventer-now.
If you want to follow along with me this year, get to Earl May, sign up for the 6-step lawn program and get your Crabgrass Preventer on!
Helpful Reminders and Tips for Applying Crabgrass Preventer and Prepping the Lawn for Spring
1. Get a Fertilizer Spreader
If you haven’t bought yourself a fertilizer spreader, this would be a good time to do that! I use a Scotts Broadcast Spreader. I somehow lost a piece of my XL spreader over the winter, so I bought a mini spreader to use as back-up. It holds a lot less but does the job. This would be better if you had a smaller yard.
2. Fill and Set the Spreader
Fill the spreader with your Crabgrass Preventer and set the spreader on the setting according to the instructions on the back of your fertilizer bag.
I set the spreader to 5 1/2.
3. Walk it Out
Start out by walking at the same pace around the border of your property. You can use the guard switch to keep it off your sidewalk and non-grass spots. Once I have the border finished, I walk in straight lines around my yard (about six feet apart) and then go the opposite way. Basically, I make a checkerboard.
4. Blow it Off
Blow off any fertilizer that gets on your cement with a leaf blower. The iron can stain your driveway if left on with rain.
5. Prep Your Mower
Finally, the only thing to do between now and your first mow is to make sure your lawn mower blade is clean and sharp. I get my mower blades sharpened once in the beginning and once in the middle of year. Professional lawn mowing companies sharpen their blades weekly. If you don’t have a sharp blade, then your grass looks like it has split ends when you cut it. I'm lucky to have a neighbor with a small engine maintenance side gig so he tunes up my mower for me. If you're local and want his info, let me know!
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