Whether your approach to lawn care is do-it-yourself, or you are fortunate enough to have a service do the work for you, this article and video gives you a quick list of springtime DO and DONT’S for having a healthy lawn without spending any more than you have to spend.

You should check with a nursery in your local area, regarding advice for your particular type of lawn grass, and for the specific region of the country where you live. But here are some general DO’s and DONT’s for springtime lawn care:
 

DO’s

 

Pre-emergent Weed Control

Do use a pre-emergent crabgrass and weed seed control that contains Prodiamine™ as the active ingredient. Unlike other pre-emergents that only last for up to 90 days, Prodiamine continues to kill weed seed of all types all spring and summer (helpful accessory: weed preventers).
 

Pre-season lawn mower check:

Do get your mower out early and start it up to be sure that everything is working properly. Also, if your mower’s blade needs to be sharpened, it a good idea to get this into a service shop early, before they get swamped when the mowing season starts (see types, costs, and reviews of lawn mower blades).
 

PH testing

Do have the PH level of your lawn tested professionally every 2-3 years. This will give you (or your service provider) a better idea of what the specific needs are of your particular lawn (helpful accessory: lawn pH testers).
 

Directions on the labels

Do read all product labels and follow the recommended rates of application for any lawn product.
 

Raking

Do rake up any leaves that have trapped themselves under your shrubs. This will allow air to replace the leaves and help aerate and dry the soil that has gotten soaked over the winter (helpful accessory: leaf rakes).
 

DON'Ts

 

Pre-emergent Weed Control:

Don’t apply pre-emergent weed control if you have seeded your lawn, as the pre-emergent weed control will kill the developing seeds. Instead, wait until after your grass seed has germinated and started to grow.
 

Grass Seeding:

Don’t plant cool-season grass seed in the spring. Planting in spring exposes the seedlings to fusarium blight and other disease pathogens, plus the new grass will be exposed to the summer heat before their roots have had a chance to develop. Fall is a better time to plant cool-season grass seed.
 

Fertilizer

Don’t over-fertilize. A little fertilizer is good, but too much too early in the spring can cause problems like lots of top-growth. Although it may look nice at first, top-growth comes at the expense of the roots of your lawn. Rather than go heavy on fertilizer in the spring, it is better to fertilize lightly throughout the season.
 

Pest Control:

Don’t use pest control as a preventative measure. Pesticides are expensive and some can cause significant damage to the environment. If you don't have an actual problem with lawn insects, then don't use insecticides. And similarly, if you don't have a disease problem, then don't use fungicides.
 

SUMMARY

We hope this video and article has helped you understand some quick DO’s and DON’Ts for caring for your lawn.  And that it helps you get your lawn off to a great start this year.