Wake up lawn!!!

So how do I wake my lawn up from it's winter dormancy?  Here are a few simple tips and tricks to help your lawn get off to the right start this spring:

1.  Mowing:  Mow it low for that first mowing of the year (less than 2 inches if possible).  This helps remove some of that winter thatch and let the new growth start to show through.  Hopefully last fall you did the same thing to help prevent excess matting and snow mold issues (shouldn't be too much of a problem due to lack of snow this year).

2.  Snow Mold:  If you do have areas that are matted down or that have pink or grey snow mold, just grab a leaf rake and lightly rake those areas to allow air to penetrate the canopy of the grass and dry up those areas.

3.  Is power raking good or bad?:  Avoid power raking (this method uses sharp blades to slice and remove the thatch).  This can do more damage to your grass than is does good most of the time.  If you need to dethatch your lawn they do make spring tine dethatchers that work adequately and do minimal damage to your turf.  Some lawn mowers offer this service.  A good core aeration will also help.

4.  Core Aeration:  Core aerate your lawn.  If you didn't get a chance to do this last fall then spring is also a great time to have this done.  This helps with thatch reduction and also loosens the soil to allow for better water and nutrient penetration throughout the year.  Very important in high clay soils which we tend to have in certain areas of the Northern Utah.   

5.  Fertilization:  Apply a quality fertilizer to wake that grass up and get it going for the year.  To minimize growth and extend feeding a slow release product should be used which will be helpful especially since the lawn is usually growing fairly fast in the spring anyways.   

6.  Weed Control:  A pre-emergent can be applied early spring to keep weed seeds from germinating, as well as weedy grasses from developing.  If your lawn is healthy and relatively weed free, or newly planted, I would avoid pre-emergents because they can stunt root development and growth a little especially if applied at an incorrect rate.  May is a good time to apply a broad leaf weed killer to your lawn to take care of any weeds that pop up.