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Brown spots, bald spots, possibly fungal attack, dull green. After the cold season, the lawn is often not a pretty sight. Read here how to fix this with the right lawn care in spring.
The right time
Although looking at the lawn after the snow melts may be hard to bear, don't start lawn care too soon. The ground must be dry enough for you to walk on the area without compacting the ground. It should also be warm enough for the grass to start growing. This is the case from about 10 degrees and thus in the middle or end of March, in some areas not until April.
The first works
Before the first mowing or fertilizing is due in spring, the lawn must be cleaned. Thoroughly rake the entire area in March. Don't be squeamish about it. If you tear up the turf in the process, you won't harm the grass, it will help aerate it.
On this occasion, remove:
- leaves
- moss
- Stones (arrived on the lawn by clearing or melting snow)
- Branches and twigs (blown onto the lawn by autumn and winter storms)
mowing
This spring lawn care step can be skipped if the lawn was mowed very short in the fall or if the grass has not yet grown in March or April due to low temperatures.
Otherwise, the first cut of the year should be done, shortening the grass to 2 to 3 cm in length.
A day when the sun is not too strong is beneficial, and this also applies to the next step in lawn care.
aerate
After mowing, the lawn is scarified. You can use different tools for this. A simple rake, a hand scarifier or an electric device. The latter makes work easier, especially with very large areas. Use it like the normal lawn mower and drive off the area in lanes. You can use a scarifier with or without a grass catcher. If you use it without, the plant residue can remain on the surface and fertilize the lawn immediately. However, this also slows down the growth of the grass because it is shaded.
Notice: Use a catch basket, put the plant remains on the compost or under trees and bushes.
advantage of scarifying
scarify the lawn
Spring aerating eliminates tangles in the turf, loosens the top layer of soil and encourages new grass growth. In addition, moss is removed over a large area. While you are working the lawn, you can also remove any weeds at the same time. Don't worry if scarifying creates holes in the lawn, if they are small they will close up on their own. Larger holes will be reseeded later.
overseeding
If the lawn has larger, sparse or even bare spots after lawn care, it must be reseeded in the spring. This also applies to areas marked by diseases. These are cut out with a spade and filled with nutrient-rich garden soil, which should not contain any weed seeds.
Bring out new seeds when rainy days are forecast or the soil is still sufficiently moist after the winter. Alternatively, install the irrigation provided for the summer beforehand.
manual
- Obtain suitable seeds. The choice depends on the lawn use and how much seed you need. It makes sense to use the same seed that you used for the lawn.
- If the turf was not thatched prior to overseeding, use a rake to thoroughly roughen the bare patch. Remove stones, roots and weeds.
- Depending on the soil conditions, you can improve the quality by mixing the seed with sand on loamy soil and adding clay flour on sandy soil.
- The lawn seed is distributed as evenly as possible over the bald spot.
If there are a lot of holes in the green area, spread lawn seed over the whole area again at the end with a spreader. To do this, drive lengthways and crossways over the area. This ensures that the seed is distributed evenly.- The seed must get good soil connection. Work it into the ground with a rake and then press it down well. For small areas, stepping on your shoes is sufficient. You can go over large areas with a lawn roller. It can also be helpful to lightly cover the seed with fine garden soil to protect it from drying out.
- Water the seeds carefully. The seed must not swim away. No further watering is required in April or March if the humidity is appropriate. However, later in the spring it may be necessary. In any case, the surface must be kept well moist for a few weeks.
Notice: Always keep some of the lawn seed in a sealed container for future reseeding.
Fertilize
- fertilize the lawn when overseeding
- Mix seeds with fertilizer
- Use fertilizer that is suitable for this
- for example special lawn fertilizer for the spring
- Nutrient supply should support the grass after the winter
- Use compost or well rotted stable manure
- the latter is also suitable as an autumn fertilizer
- Remove leftovers in spring when tending the lawn
- don't fertilize too much at once
- Give the grass enough time to grow
manual
- If you want to be really precise, take soil samples from different parts of the lawn, such as bare spots, before you overseed them. Have the samples analyzed in a laboratory. Then you will know exactly which fertilizer you need to apply and in what concentration.
- The first fertilization usually takes place during lawn care in March or April. Can also be carried out before all other measures to support the grass in the beginning of growth. The right time depends on whether the lawn has received an autumn fertilizer and what the current state of growth is.
- Do not fertilize immediately after mowing or scarifying and not when the sun is very strong. The lawn could burn.
- The spreader is used for even fertilization. Particularly granular, dry fertilizer can be spread easily with it. Damp or crumbly manure, such as compost, is better applied with a shovel and then distributed with a rake.
- Moisture from rain or irrigation ensures that the nutrients can be better absorbed by the roots.
Second mowing
You wait until the reseeding has sprouted and reached a length of 10 cm. If you have fertilized the lawn, it should grow noticeably before you mow it again. If there is not much time between fertilizing and mowing, the lawn should not be cut too short.