Page 48 - AreaNewsletters "May2023"

After All That Snow This Past Winter, It’s Finally
The Start of Growing Season
Here are a few tips for starting off right in the lawn and landscape.
While stores have been stocking
products that bundle weed control with
fertilizers for what seems like months now,
wait until at least late April or early May to
apply them. Fertilizer is best applied after consistent active growth has begun and
products containing crabgrass control will
wane in effectiveness too soon if applied
early. For the very best results, apply your
fertilizer separately from any herbicides.
Healthy turf tends to exclude weeds; don’t
spend money on a product you don’t need! Be sure to follow the label instructions for application and re-entering the lawn area for all lawn care chemicals. If your lawn needs some over-seeding; this can be addressed now, as spring is one of two times a year (the other is fall) for ideal timing of seeding and over-seeding lawns. If seeding this season, skip the pre-emergent weed control and crabgrass prevention products, as most will also prevent seeds from germinating. Simply rake up any areas that sustained damage from being snow covered for long periods, they will likely recover well in Colorado’s dry climate, though over-seeding is advisable if start of recovery is not quickly apparent. A final step in preparing the lawn for a healthy growing season is aeration. Aerating your lawn promotes soil oxygenation and turf root health. It can be performed anytime after the ground is no longer frozen. Holes should be two to three inches deep and no more than two to four inches apart. This is more than one pass with the aerator machine! Lawns should be well watered the day prior to aeration, and just
May 2023 • Castle Rock “AreaNewsletters”
after. It may be wise to indicate where irrigation heads, shallow irrigation lines, and cable lines are to avoid damage. The increased access to water and fertilizer for grass roots, reduced soil compaction and increased oxygen within the soil, are highly beneficial to overall turf health and well worth the expense. Keeping a lawn well fed, consistent in coverage and aerated is a wise investment, as a healthy lawn is disease and weed resistant.
After the lawn is ready to go for the growing season, it may be time to turn to cleaning up the ornamental beds. If you have been putting off cutting back last season’s growth, go ahead and keep doing it until temperatures are consistently over 50 degrees as the flower heads and stems provide food to birds as well as shelter for insects. Some exceptions that should be cut back earlier include ornamental grasses and summer flowering shrubs such as the butterfly bush. Plenty of weeds are already coming up because of those occasional warmer winter and early spring temperatures Colorado sees. Because they are a main source of food for bees
48
If your lawn looks like this, it’s time to re-seed.
H O ME & G A R D E N