One of the biggest detractors of a great-looking lawn is weeds. These pesky and consistent intruders can mar your landscape if you don’t take the proper precautions. Here are some tips for helping to get a weed-free lawn this upcoming spring season.
Pre-Emergent Weed Control
Once the soil temperature reaches 50 degrees Fahrenheit, weeds can start germinating. The germination process only takes about a week or so, and you’ll start seeing the weeds poke up through your existing grass. The key to treating these weeds before they get started is a pre-emergent solution.
The problem with most pre-emergent solutions is that they can’t be applied before the soil temperature reaches the ideal germination temperature. There’s only a short window where the pre-emergent must be used to help prevent successful weed germination. Typically, this period is going to be the month of February.
By catching these weeds before they’re ever able to germinate, you can significantly reduce your chances of experiencing weeds in your lawn throughout the year. This is because treating early on gives your grass the best chance of growing back tall and strong from its winter dormant state. Once the grass grows tall enough, it will take over and overcrowd any potential weeds that do develop.
In the spring, keep your focus on encouraging grass growth while minimizing weed growth. Work with a local expert to decide on the right blend of grasses for the amount of sun or shade in your lawn, the moisture level and the traffic level. While there are plenty of all-purpose grass mixes to choose from, you will be more successful if you choose species that are designed specifically for your lawn’s unique climate.
Remove Thatch
At the end of the fall season, as the weather outside gets colder, your grass will go dormant. At this point, the organic matter that’s on the surface of the soil isn’t going to break down like it would during regular grass growing during the summertime. This leaves behind a thick layer, called thatch, made from undigested roots and leaves.
Unfortunately, thatch is well-known to hold onto water and prevent proper drainage from your soil. It also creates the perfect environment for diseases, moss and fungi to take over your lawn. Removing that thatch very early in the spring is important to help promote the best environment for grass growth. You can do this manually using a rake or hire one of our professionals to use specialized equipment to do a more thorough job.
Aerate the Soil
The winter season can take a toll on your soil and cause it to be more compacted. Unfortunately, compacted soil makes it hard for grass to flourish and get the nutrients it needs. A great way to help reduce that compaction is to aerate your soil. This is the process of putting thousands of tiny holes in your soil that provide enough area for direct water and nutrients to get to the roots of your grass. Aeration can also loosen the compaction in the soil of a high-traffic lawn. Hiring one of our lawn care professionals to run our aeration machine across your property can be highly beneficial.
Overseeding and Fertilization
During the aeration process, it can be exceedingly helpful to seed your lawn. That allows some seeds to get down into the created pockets and receive the moisture they need to get going. Additionally, this is a perfect time to apply fertilizer to your lawn to help give it that initial boost of nutrients it needs to start growing again. Remember that getting your grass to grow strong and consistent is the key to smothering weeds throughout the year.
Preventing Pest Damage
Regarding weed control, it can be easy to focus on treating the weeds and forget about the health of your overall landscape. If pests are allowed to infiltrate your property, they can cause extensive damage to your lawn. From burrowing underneath the surface and killing off roots to emitting substances that can prevent your grass from effectively absorbing water, pests can wreak havoc on your lawn.
As part of your effort to create a weed-free lawn, you must also consider preventing pests from infiltrating your lawn. Ideally, you’ll want to get pest control treatments in the early spring months before pests even reach your lawn. It’s better to prevent them from occurring than worry about treating them after they show up on your property and start causing damage. By treating pests on your property, you can have the peace of mind that your grass will grow up strong and unimpeded so that it can smother out any potential weeds you want to try to grow.
Get Lawn Diseases Treated
Another thing you need to be mindful of is lawn diseases. Wintertime is one of the worst times of the year for your lawn to experience a disease because it’s not strong enough to really fight back against it. When spring rolls around, it’s important to have one of our lawn care professionals come out and assess your lawn to identify any diseases that are present.
This can allow you to treat these diseases as soon as possible before they affect your lawn’s overall growth and health. Because your lawn needs to flourish to smother out weeds, it needs to be absolutely disease-free. Signs of lawn disease include discoloration of the grass, strange substances on the grass and bare spots. In some cases, diseased areas will brown more quickly than other parts of the lawn during heat spells.
Hand Weed for Maintenance and Upkeep
Once you set yourself up for success with a weed-free lawn, it’s essential to maintain those results throughout the rest of the spring and summer seasons. Fortunately, this shouldn’t be a lot of work, as you shouldn’t have many weeds popping up across your lawn. If you see any weed, take the time to hand-weed it out. Using a tool like a dandelion fork can be a great way to access the roots of weeds with a huge taproot.
Seek Out Lawn Treatment Services Now
If you don’t want weeds in your yard this spring and summer, you need to act quickly. You only have a small window at the end of winter to treat your lawn to prevent weed growth and help encourage quick and efficient grass growth. Once your grass can take over, it will go a long way in helping to prevent weed growth throughout the rest of the year. Contact us today for all the lawn care services you need to prepare your lawn to be weed-free for the upcoming season.
Reliable Weed Control Service
Lawn Squad® offers reliable weed control service for the Aurora, IL area. We can also help with pest control, fertilization, disease control, overseeding, and aeration needs. Call us today to schedule your next service consultation with one of our knowledgeable lawn care professionals.
