Hello, first time home owner in the spring here, living in NC. Currently our grass is completely dead. We have that roll out HOA grass stuff, not sure if it makes a difference.
I was thinking about renting an aerator, fertilizing, then weekly water maintenance. Is this necessary, or should I just focus on watering? Also, would like to know if I should start lawn maintenance now, or wait, considering some weeks are still cold over here until April.
by Slannon
14 Comments
You sure it’s not dormant? Mine looks like this and it’s not dead.
Not dead, it’s dormant
This is Bermuda. It’ll green up when it gets hot.
Maintenance right now is to apply pre-emergent.
Aerating is in the heat of summer (July) for this grass.
https://preview.redd.it/kibctncj0sne1.png?width=400&format=png&auto=webp&s=98dd885d8bb54d162ded2bcfb33b48307b85dd7e
It’ll be starting to green up in a week if it’s Bermuda we’ve got a whole slew of sunny days in the 70s. As soon as the soil temps hit 55 or 60 or so it’ll be fine and hungry for some fert.
Aerate when it’s actively growing. Spring time AFTER it has greened up is what I’ve always read. Try to time it after a rain so that the ground softens up too.
do it when the grass is growing
I thought this was my backyard in NC and with my grass. Listen to what people, are saying. Thought it probably a little late for weed control , but it won’t hurt,
I believe you are aerating the ground, not the grass.
It’s still winter. 😂
It’s not dead, aerate, overseed and water regularly
Apply a pre emergent that has no fertilizer for the first round. Second round you can apply another pre emergent with fertilizer. You can start cutting the turf lower and lower as the temperatures warm. I would mow it is as low as your mower can handle without scalping. If you want to encourage the turf to spread and fill in then i would scalp it June 1st and aerate. If you have the budget I would top dress with sand to level the yard and making it easier to mow lower because you will avoid low spots that cause scalping. I would fertilize every month on the month with a nitrogen fertilizer during the growing season. You will have a nice lawn and will need weekly maintenance. It is a lot of effort. Get a rotary mower asap if you really want the yard to shine. The last fall application should be another pre emergent to cover your winter and spring weeds. Visit your local supplier such as a Site One or Howard’s. They can sell you fertilizer that is way better than the big box stores plus you get industry knowledge. Good luck and remember the label is the law.
If you dont even know what type of grass you have and how it functions you need to do some research long before aerating.
Congratulations on your first home! You are going to have a beautiful lawn. Aerate later on in the season when the grass is growing strong. You want it to recover from the aeration damage quickly. Pre emergent time is right now. Dithiopyr or prodiamine as the active ingredient is a good choice for spring. You may be a touch late, but late is way better than never. Get a soil test done ASAP. That will guide you in the direction of feeding your lawn what it actually needs and let you know if there is a PH adjustment needed for optimal soil / grass chemistry.