Most people think that in order to have a great looking lawn you have to pay a lawn service company but we are here to say that everyone can have a good looking lawn if you have the knowledge and patience. When you understand the mechanics of a good lawn you can succeed.
1) For starters, your lawn grass must have the proper PH before it can absorb any fertilizer so get a soil test. Weeds are the only thing that can grow in a soil that doesn't have a good PH. If your lawn has a lot of weeds it's highly likely that the PH is off.
2) Know your lawns square footage before treating your lawn. Use Google Map's "Measure Distance" feature to determine the square footage of your lawn. Right click on the aerial view of your property to begin drawing borders around your front and backyard. When you close the area, Google will show the square footage of the enclosed area.
3) Nitrogen is just one of the primary keys to a healthy lawn, but don't over do it.
4) Know your grass type. Different grasses grow best in different climates, seasons and temperatures. The most popular cool season grass for Maryland is Turf Type Tall Fescue.
5) Rain is good but too much rain could wash away your lawn treatment which means you may have to carefully re-apply. In this case, slow release fertilizers are best.
6) Try not to let your Tall Fescue grass grow taller than 5 inches and don't remove more than 1/3 of the height at a time. The more often you cut your grass the smaller the grass clippings will be, therefore no need to bag. Leaving the clippings will recycle nutrients. If for some reason your grass is too long and it's leaving clumps as you mow then you should probably go ahead and bag the clippings so that the clumps don't smother the remaining grass.
7) It normally takes two consistent years to rid you lawn of most weeds using pre and post emergents.
8) The absolute best time to plant cool season grass seed is late summer or early fall when temperatures are falling. The next best time is the spring, but the chances of the young grass being able to survive the rising heat of the summer is very slim.
9) Newly planted grass seed needs plenty of water to sprout and grow. If nature doesn't provide enough water by means of rain, you will have to fill the need by watering twice daily, early morning and late afternoon. Hand watering doesn't do a good job, use a sprinkler instead. Expect your water bill to be very high for one month. If your budget doesn't allow for a high bill, it's best not to waste your time and money on all the prep work involved in planting grass seed.
Below you will find what I've successfully done on my personal lawn and why I did it. Once you get the hang of it, it's really not that difficult. My lawn is now in maintenance mode so what I do is a little less involved. In fact, I've taken a more organic approach for maintenance.
Spreader $40 - $100
Water Hose - $50 - $80
Quick PH Tester $75
Before you apply any fertilizer, test the PH of your soil.
You can buy a simple tester like the one shown below, but a professional soil test is better.
A professional soil test report will also provide recommendations.
Ideal PH should be between 6.4 and 6.8.
Most untreated lawns in Maryland have acidic levels below 6.0
If the PH is below 6.0 you will need an application of lime.
Lime needs time to adjust your PH.
The Fall is the best time to apply lime to get ready for spring.
Weed Control: Selective Post-Emergent
Type: Broad Range Weed Killer
Brand: Spectracide 470+ weeds and Crabgrass
Source: Big Box Store (Lowes, Home Depot)
Don't apply if you plan to re-seed within 4 weeks
Follow the instructions on the product
Aerate
Foot traffic and machine traffic compacts your soil over the summer making it difficult for roots to prosper
Aeration introduces more air and nutrients to the soil
Core aeration is the best type of aeration
The best results are obtained after a good rain has softened the ground
Re-seed Lawn
Best time to Re-seed is 30 to 45 days before the first frost date for your Zip Code
First Frost Date for Fort Washington, MD is November 1st
Tall Fescue is the most popular seed for Maryland
See University of Maryland's proven list of grass cultivars
Fall is the best time to re-seed
Previous pre-emergent application should have expired by now
If you have applied weed killer recently, you should re-seed according to the instructions on the weed killer
Do your research before choosing grass seed.
Stay away from coated seeds, they are 50% coating giving you less seed.
Jonathan Green has many good options.
Follow the instructions on the product
Apply starter fertilizer only if you have re-seeded.
Apply a good lawn starter fertilizer high in phosporous to quickly develop roots of new seeds
The N-P-K number on the bag stands for Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium
The phosphorous number should be higher than 18
Only apply if you did not reseed
Brand: Scotts
Type: Must say Winterguard (very important)
Source: Big Box Stores (Lowes, Home Depot)
Follow the instructions on the product
Guaranteed Analysis Summary:
Total Nitrogen is 32% which includes 6% slow release nitrogen. That means that the difference (26%) is fast release nitrogen.
Pre-emergent to stop winter weeds
Brand Name: Lesco (Stonewall 0.68)
Source: Lowes
Follow the instructions on the product
Aerate
If you didn't aerate in the fall you should do so in the spring
Foot traffic and machine traffic compacts your soil over the summer making it difficult for roots to prosper
Aeration introduces more air and nutrients to the soil
Core aeration is the best type of aeration
The best results are obtained after a good rain has softened the ground
Fertilze lawn
Brand: Scotts Ultra Feed - Slow release feeds for 6 months (40-0-5)
Home Depot Exclusive
Follow the instructions on the product
Fertilizer works best when the soil PH is between 6.0 and 6.8
Apply Granular Pre-Emergent before soil temperatures reach 55 degrees
FYI - This application is to prevent any seeds from sprouting. This will be ok since you've already re-seeded the previous fall.
Pre-emergent to stop spring and summer weeds
Brand Name: Lesco (Stonewall 0.68)
Source: Lowes
Follow the instructions on the product
Any pre-emergent will work as long as the active ingredient is Prodiamine or Dithiopyr.
Weed Control: Selective Post-Emergent
Type: Broad Range Weed Killer
Brand: Spectracide 470+ weeds and Crabgrass
Source: Big Box Store (Lowes, Home Depot)
Follow the instructions on the product
Weed Control: Selective Post Emergent
Type: Narrow Range Weed Killer Chickweed, Clover, Oxalis (CCO)
Brand: Weed B Gon
Source: Big Box Stores (Lowes, Home Depot)
Follow the instructions on the product
Kills Grubs to discourage moles feeding
Brand: St Gabriels Organic Milky Spore
Source: Amazon
Divide into 3 Applications
Will last 10 to 15 years
Follow the instructions on the product
Grub & Insect Treatment: Prevents Grubs
Brand: Scotts
Source: Big Box Stores (Lowes, Home Depot)
Cost: $30 for a 15 lb bag and will treat 5,000 square feet
Follow the instructions on the product
Grub & Insect Treatment: Kills Grubs
Brand: BioAdvanced
Source: Big Box Stores (Lowes, Home Depot)
Cost: $25 for a 10 lb bag and will treat 7,500 square feet
Follow the instructions on the product
