Yard and Garden: Timing of Spring Lawn Care Chores
Proper timing and gentle care will pay off as homeowners complete a few lawn chores this spring.
Proper timing and gentle care will pay off as homeowners complete a few lawn chores this spring.
Fall is an excellent time to apply broadleaf herbicides to lawns, but take care to do it properly and effectively. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach horticulturists can help answer questions about the right time and methods.
The Iowa State University Horticulture Research Station will host the Iowa Turfgrass Field and Demonstration Day Sept. 12. The event will offer information and training for turfgrass management on golf courses, sports fields, and home lawns and landscapes.
Overseeding is one way to improve an existing lawn that is in poor condition. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach horticulturists offer tips on how to overseed, what seed to use and how to ensure good germination.
Taking care of an Iowa lawn during the summer can be a challenge; knowing the best practices can keep a lawn healthy and happy.
How to care for a lawn and set it up for success throughout the spring, summer and fall is the subject of an article in the March edition of the Small Farm Sustainability newsletter. The March issue also discusses beef cattle production, acreage ponds, prescribed burns, and pruning trees and shrubs.
Fall is a perfect time to prepare lawns for the upcoming year with seeding, aeration and fertilization.
Summer is prime time for being outdoors, enjoying lawns and landscapes and making the most of the warmest months of the year. Crabgrass can ruin some of that fun by damaging a landscape’s appearance and overall feel.
Officially, summer doesn’t begin until June 21, but Memorial Day marked the unofficial start of summer. With it comes the need for lawn care. It can be hot, sweaty work, but there’s no questioning its necessity.
Forgoing mowing in spring and delaying summer mowing allows sufficient time for Iowa’s breeding pheasants, quail, meadowlarks and 16 other common species of grassland-nesting birds to raise their young in nests they build during this time of the year.