Greener Grass
Greener Grass
It’s been a beautiful weekend in Robertson county but March sure came in like a lion! With warming temperatures and longer days right around the corner, now is a great time to start thinking about improving your lawn. Your local CO-OP can offer suggestions on how to get that beautiful lawn that you’re looking for whether you want more grass, greener grass or want to get rid of the weeds, lawn improvement is one of our areas of expertise. This week I’m going to walk you through using granular fertilizers and give you some options of fertilizers that also contain herbicides to help you make your yard the prettiest in the neighborhood!
Building a Foundation – Soil pH
People think that if you throw some fertilizer out, the grass will grow. Sometimes this works but sometimes the expected results are disappointing. Besides there being different analyses of fertilizers, ranging from a basic 10-10-10 to slow release fertilizer like 18-24-12, other variables play a part in trying to establish beautiful grass. Before figuring out the fertilizer, it’s important to know what kind of soil pH is in you have. This will help you get the most out of fertilizing because if the pH isn’t right then the grass will not be able to utilize the nutrients of the fertilizer that’s applied. The best and most accurate way to do this is to pull a couple soil samples and combine them. Don’t pick only the best parts or worst parts of your yard when pulling samples and you’ll want to get dirt from below the roots so go a good 4” into the ground. After combining the samples, you’ll only need to bring us about a cup full which most people just put in a ziplock bag. The cost on lawn samples is $20 per sample and usually just a single sample is necessary unless you’re planning on growing different grasses in different areas. We can also send samples for gardens which are the same price. The results can be emailed directly or we can print and mail them to you. After the sample results come in the real work starts. If you’re pH is too low, you’ll need lime. If you need to lower your pH, you’ll most likely want sulfur. The sample results will tell us how much of which one you need if your pH is out of kilter either way. The sample will also tell you what kind of fertilizer to use to get the results you want to achieve.
Weeding out the Competition
Another factor to consider when trying to establish a beautiful lawn is weeds! If weeds are present then the grass has to compete with them for the nutrients that are available in the soil. What needs to be determined first is what kind or kinds of weeds you’re trying to kill and when you want to kill them which is where herbicides come in. Herbicides are available in the form of pre emergents and post emergents and can be purchased in granular or liquid forms depending on how you’d like to apply them. A pre emergent is to prevent the weeds from growing and post emergents are applied after the weeds are actively growing. It’s important to know that when you’re going to war with any kind of weed, you’ll usually have to make more than one application in order to be successful. Seeds can lay in the ground dormant for many years and when the conditions are just right, they’ll show their ugly faces. If crabgrass is the problem, you’ll want to stay ahead of the game by using a product with the herbicide Dimension. Dimension is a preemergent herbicide and we have a 10-10-10 with Dimension available in stock. If other broadleaf weeds are your problem then you may want to use either Prodiamine or Trimec. Prodiamine would be the preemergent and helps with preventing crabgrass as well as broadleaf weeds and Trimec would be the post emergent. Both of these are broad spectrum herbicides that target broadleaf weeds and are in stock at the Springfield location. If you’re more confused now, don’t worry we will help you figure it out when you’re ready!
Grow Grass, Grow
If your main goal is to make your grass grow and you have very little weeds then 18-24-12 is your product. Part of the nitrogen is slow release so it’ll last longer than regular 10-10-10 or 15-15-15. The slow release 18-24-12 also has 3% iron which will help green up the grass a bit more. Without a soil test, recommended rate our fertilizers without any kind of herbicide is 200# per acre and most of our bags contain 50 pounds. There’s nothing wrong with using the old 10-10-10 or 15-15-15 standbys though and for basic lawn maintenance, they are fine. But if you pulled a soil sample and have your results then you have a great guide to go by to get the best possible lawn you can have. If the results look like a foreign language to you, no worries…we can help you read it so stop in or give us a call!
Lawn maintenance may seem overwhelming when it comes to fertilizing and seeding but the experienced staff at CO-OP will make it an easy task for you to conquer. Regardless of your lawn care goal, we’ll help you develop a plan! From simple fertilizer to complex weed & feed, we have you covered! Spring fever is upon us and nice sunny, warm weather is around the corner. Let’s all hope March goes out like a lamb!
“My teaching will drop like the rain, my sayings will drip like the dew, as rain drops upon the
grass, and showers upon new growth.” Deuteronomy 32:2
