Time to prep your lawn

I hope everyone has been staying warm as winter makes its sweep across South Carolina. According to Punxsutawney Phil, our groundhog meteorologist, we can expect 6 more weeks of cool weather. I can not tell you how accurate those predictions might be, but I can tell you a few things that can be done to your lawn and landscape to prepare during this time.

The primary driver of all outdoor plant activity is soil temperature. Soil temperatures dictate when certain plants grow or stop growing, when specific weeds germinate, when funguses appear, and when plants bloom; along with many other things. This is very important to take into account when applying any products to the lawn. There are a few preventative measures that can be done at this time that will save you a lot of time and hassle as we begin to warm up.

With the temperature increase you will begin to see changes in your landscape. You will see positive changes such as growth and color change along with some negatives such as new weed germination and fungal developments.

Now is the time you want to make sure to get your pre-emergent weed controls down. This will suppress the germination of weeds that thrive in warmer temperatures. Pre-emergents will not prevent all weeds from occurring but will minimize the amount you see making it easier to stay on top throughout the season.

A light watering is beneficial for getting pre-emergents into the ground and helping to prevent germination.

It is also very important to keep a close eye on the temperatures when it comes to watering and feeding the lawn with fertilizer. Pushing the lawn to grow too soon often does more harm than good.

Typically we see our last cold snap around St. Patrick’s day, therefore we encourage waiting until April to automate your sprinklers or do any nitrogen fertilization. It is okay to manually water once every 2-3 weeks as needed if temperatures continue to rise but you do not want to exceed that due to risk of fungus.

As you might have noticed, many of our plants were affected by the cold temperatures this past month. Do not panic, the majority of your plant life will recover this spring and summer. We suggest cutting out any dead branches once we are past the cold to allow for new growth. For struggling or damaged plants a deep root feeding in the spring will spark new life into your plants.

Zach Deloach is the owner of Lawn Doctor of Beaufort County.