February - Rejuvenating a Winter-Weary Lawn

By Bob Chapman

Taking action to revive the lawn in February will lead to a strong, lush and green lawn all through the summer. The suggestions below are to be used if the situation(s) exists in your lawn right now.

FERTILIZE THE LAWN NOW.
Fertilize the lawn this month if you live in a mild winter area. The soil has had vital nutrients leached out, especially nitrogen. If there are no broad-leaved weeds in the lawn, use regular lawn fertilizer, such as Superfine Lawn Fertilizer. It has high nitrogen content. In addition this fertilizer contains the minor nutrients needed for optimum growth of your lawn. Otherwise use a weed and feed fertilizer. These fertilizer/weed killer combinations contain a chemical that kills most broad-leaved weeds found in lawns.

CONTROL CRABGRASS
If your lawn was infested with annual crabgrass last summer, spread a crabgrass preventer and fertilizer combination. The chemical in this product inhibits the growth of crabgrass and most weeds. When a crabgrass seed in the soil germinates, it sends up a shoot. When the shoot contacts the chemical film on or near the surface of the soil, it is killed.

COMPACTED OR COMPRESSED SOIL
Playgrounds and dog "paths" can compress or compact the soil, shutting off needed air to the roots. When deprived of air at the roots, the grass slowly dies. Solve this problem by punching holes in the soil, giving the soil and plant roots a breath of air. This process is known as aerating the lawn. For small areas, the use of a spading fork or pitchfork will do nicely. If most of the lawn is compacted, hire a lawn firm to do this task. You can also rent an aerator from a tool rental yard. This machine is simple to operate, requiring no particular skills and the tool rental personnel will be happy to show you how to operate it.

DETHATCHING A KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS LAWN
"Thatch" consists of a buildup of organic materials on the surface of the soil. It occurs chiefly in Kentucky bluegrass lawns, rarely in rye or fescue lawns. The buildup can prevent moisture and fertilizers from reaching the soil, causing the Kentucky bluegrass to struggle to survive. To determine if your lawn has thatch, and to see how thick it might be, cut a cube out of the lawn, lift it out and look to see if there is a thick layer of material between the soil and the emerging grass blades. If the layer is at least a half-inch thick the lawn will need dethatching. You can rent a dethatcher or hire a lawn service to do this for you. Rake off all the dead matter that the machine brings to the surface and compost it. Be aware that using a dethatcher can leave the lawn looking pretty sad until it grows and thickens up again. Spreading a high-nitrogen fertilizer immediately following the dethatching and removal of the waste will help the lawn recover faster and help the Kentucky bluegrass lawn grow and prosper.

OVERSEEDING A WEAK LAWN
Overseeding a "thin" lawn, one that has small open spaces between grass plants is best done when the soil warms in later spring. Warmth and moisture are the keys to success when sowing new seed to thicken the lawn.

RESEEDING A LAWN
Reseeding usually refers to large patches of very thin or non-existent lawn. To reseed the patches, scratch the surface with a steel rake, sow the seed and then lightly cover the bare spot with compost, fortified sawdust or peat moss to protect the seed and to help retain moisture in the soil. Warmth and moisture are the keys to success when sowing seed.

Bob Chapman is a well-known professional gardener and landscape contractor. Currently retired, Bob now spends his time contributing many free-lance garden articles and columns, and is a much sought after lecturer and horticultural consultant.

Since 1987, Bob has appeared as a regular columnist for the San Jose Mercury News. Besides the Mercury, his writings have appeared in the San Diego Tribune, Sacramento Bee, Fresno Bee and the Times Newspaper Group. He is the 1991 winner of the Quill and Trowel Award of the Garden Writers Association of America for the best newspaper gardening article in North America.

Bob majored in Ornamental Horticulture at Cal-Poly, San Luis Obispo. He also served as a member of the Professional Gardeners Association.