4 Step Fertilizer Program – Take advantage of our March special and save 20% off on our 4 Step Fertilizer Program! It’s easy to apply and designed to provide the greatest results with just 4 simple steps. For lawns that have received little or no treatment in the past, our program can provide a deep, rich color with improved turf density. For well-established lawns, it will ensure thick turf remains healthy throughout the year. You get 4 granular applications specially formulated for optimal performance. There are 2 size options at 10-12,000 square feet and 5-6,000 square feet. Each can be purchased with or without grub control. All programs include Dimension (crabgrass control). Coverages are approximate and dependent on conditions of application.
Japanese Stiltgrass Control (JSG) – This annual grassy weed (like crabgrass) germinates from seed in the spring, grows actively over the summer, sets its seed in the late summer and dies with the first frost in October. The challenge with JSG is that it germinates earlier than crabgrass and it thrives in shady areas, often creeping out from wooded areas to cover thinner lawn areas. Once it germinates, selective control with herbicides is not as effective as other grassy weeds. The key to effective control is to prevent the germination of the seeds with an early spring crabgrass pre-emergent application. Timing is critical for effective control, with the ideal window mid-February to late-March (the earlier the better). We have granular DIMENSION crabgrass control available without nitrogen fertilizer to help address problem areas without affecting the timing of your normal fertilization schedule.
Broadleaf Weed Control (Cool Season Weeds) in March – Are there weeds that can clearly be seen (some flowering, some not) in your lawn in early spring? These appear when you have cool season weeds. Cool season weeds are typically more difficult to control than warm season weeds. They actively grow at a time when the lawn is just coming out of winter dormancy. The common culprits are hairy bittercress, henbit, garlic mustard, white clover, chickweed, purple deadnettle, curly dock, ground ivy, wild violets, etc. If you’ve been battling these pesky weeds without success, we highly recommend you give Cool Power® a try. Cool Power® is designed specifically for cool weather conditions. The premium ester formulation in Cool Power® is ideal for early season applications, effectively controlling hard to control, slow growing weeds before the growing season begins. Now is the time to spot treat these weeds as they emerge from winter dormancy, or blanket spray areas inundated by these pesky weeds before they take hold for the season in your lawn.
Seeding in March – Our standard advice is to keep spring seeding to a minimum because of the success rate being lower with grass established in the spring (slow to germinate, slow to estimate roots, difficult summer conditions to withstand). The better time to succeed with general overseeding is in late summer/early fall. However, with last fall’s drought, many people held off on overseeding, waiting for rain that didn’t come until it was too late. Or those that did overseed didn’t get the best results due to the lack of beneficial rainfall. So, this spring will definitely bend the “spring seeding rule” here at The Lawn Depot. Keep in mind, seed that didn’t germinate last fall, may still do so as soil temperatures rise into the low 50s in early April. Young grass that did germinate last fall will still thicken up thin areas as it establishes this spring as well. Remember that grass seed germinates in the spring right around the time crabgrass seeds germinate, so your application of DIMENSION will also need to be delayed if significant seeding is done this spring. This is all possible, but more thought needs to be put into planning spring seeding this year. Our talented staff is ready to help you figure out what’s best for your lawn.
Fertilizing Lawns in March – We hope most of you fertilized your lawns late last fall with our WINTERFEAST Turf Food. If so, you won’t need to feed your lawns again until April. Hopefully, in combination with DIMENSION pre-emergent crabgrass control. If you did NOT feed the lawn either early on or in the late fall and would like to help struggling turf recover, use our organic-based, slow-release granular 16-2-3 fertilizer now. This will help thicken up thin areas of the lawn with an early feeding.
Mowing Lawns in March – For those of us whose last mowing occurred in late November or early December last year, there should be no mowing needed this spring until the lawn starts growing in April. Your lawns should look neat and should already be greening up with the recent mild weather. If you shut the mowing down earlier in November last year, there’s a good chance your lawns look shaggy and are still winter tan. We’ve always advised late fall mowing, because lawns look neater all winter and green up faster in the spring. If your lawn looks shaggy now, and if your mower has been serviced and sharpened, you should consider one mowing now, before the grass takes off. For this cutting, set your mower one notch lower than you normally cut it (at about 2 ½” – 3” high), and mulch or discharge the clippings and lawn debris as you go. When you’ve finished, return the mower to the normal spring mowing height and put the mower away for a couple of more weeks until the grass greens up and starts growing. Your lawn will look better immediately and will start greening quickly.
Liming Lawns in March – Regular application of granular limestone (once or twice a year) to lawns grown in acidic soils (our soils), helps to sweeten the soil, which, in turn allows fertilizers to work better by releasing the macro-nutrients (N, P, K) and allowing grass roots to absorb them more readily. Liming can be done at any time of the year (other than when snow’s flying) with Cal-Turf Pro fast acting lime. It’s applied in an easy to handle, pelletized form, which will raise soil pH in weeks instead of months! If you don’t have the time or the inclination to apply lime yourselves, call us for an estimate on having our Turf Management group do it for you.