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Spring Lawn Rescue: 7 Expert Tips for a Lush, Green Yard in USA

Dormant lawns not only bring the lawn's worst look but also the grass's health. Spring is when you can bring everything in sync; grass health, soil condition, early weed management, moisture control, and damaged grass recovery. 

Well, the fact is not all the lawns bounce back in spring and remain patchy and unwell. 

While taking my lawn DIY care for more than 3 years I failed many times but I learned what really works. 

I'm sharing 7 genuine tips so that you can have a greener lawn in further seasons. 

(Trying to keep everything beginner-friendly, hopefully, it'll help you make your grass greener again.)

Spring lawn care step by step 

Let's understand the lawn conditions first after dormancy. The winter dormant period not only stops the growth of grass further but also affects its overall behavior.

spring-lawn-care-in-USA

Here are the things you should examine before going for the spring action for a greener lawn.

  • Thin weak grass and patches 

Winter damage can cause weak grass and uneven patches. The common reasons like foot traffic, snow mold, and low temperature are the common factors for weak grass and patches.

  • Soil compaction 

Winter foot traffic, bright sunlight, snow, and winter stress can compact the soil which affects the overall grass health and compact the soil.

  • Thatches 

A thick layer of dead grass called thatches directly affects the remained grass as it blocks the nutrients and moisture. 

  • Lawn moisture, moss, and weeds

Moisture is a very important factor throughout the winter. I'd say moisture and sunlight both. We expect enough moisture in winter but that's not the complete story. If there are dry days, the soil needs moisture to keep grass thriving in winter. Excessive moisture can cause fungus and moss in lawns and less moisture can create yellow and brown patches. 

Weeds like dandelions and crabgrass emerge just after the winter season. 

So overall, you know what you've to deal with in spring. Are you ready? Well, I guess so. 

7 expert tips for greener lawn in spring and further 

1. Mark the thatches and brown spots.

A visual consideration or using flags to mark is a good way to kick it off.  

First, you've to examine the overall lawn to make sure where you need to adjust and implement. It'll help you to differentiate the good, bad, and worst spots on the lawn. Good spots are the ones recovering faster and slightly greener, bad spots are the ones having weeds and moss, and the worst is with thick dead grass thatches. 

Don't be confused with slightly yellowish grass because it'll recover naturally if it's not affected by weeds, moss, and thatches. 

2. Examine the turf and roots. 

Now, scoop out 5-inch samples of each good, bad, and worst spot from all the sections you've marked earlier. 

The purpose is to examine the grass root health. So if the roots are not deeper and remain 2-3 inches or less, prepare for the recovery process. Shorter roots, shorter grass life. 

3. Weed removal

Now, identify the weeds at each corner and make sure the invasive ones don't get hidden by your eyes. Crabgrass and dandelions are the most common ones so remove them first. You can remove them by hand pulling method. I've tried weed killers and this is a very common mistake people make. Either they use the wrong ones or they don't use them correctly hence the weed thrives and the grass gets stressed.   

In my opinion, the pulling method is good for beginners but make sure you're popping out with roots. 

4. Cleaning thatches and moss 

So far, you've examined your lawn, marked the bad areas, and removed the weeds. 

Now, we'll clean the thatches. For that, you need a thatching tool to clean the stubborn thick thatches. Make sure you're not going brutal with the grass. Collect the thatch waste simultaneously and do it cleanly. 

If your lawn has moss, you can remove it with the same tool. It's easier to remove moss than thatches comparatively. 

5. Drainage and moisture control 

Drainage and moisture control are some of the common mistakes people make while doing this stuff. 

You can control the moisture once you aerate the soil and make a proper drainage for the lawn. 

6. Aeration and Fertilization

Even after removing moss and thatches, the soil is still compacted. It's stopping moisture and nutrient absorption. 

Take an aeration tool and make sure the affected areas get enough stress release. It's easy to use long-handle aerators but if you're using automatic ones, make sure the depth of holes should be deeper than 2 inches. 

After aerating the whole lawn, the next step is fertilization. 

But before that, let the lawn dry for a day or two at least. 

You should use only organic chemical-free fertilizers while doing this recovery process. 

7. Restrict foot traffic for a while 

And the most common mistake is foot traffic while recovering grass in spring. Just restrict the entire lawn for heavy or moderate foot traffic of pets and humans. 

What you can expect after?

If you're just beginning, it isn't easy to practice all this in a day or two. It'll take you some time to make adjustments and don't be bothered if you really love DIY methods. 

Yet, you can expect to see results in the next 3 weeks as the grassroots become stronger, appear in their natural color, and improve in overall growth. 

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