Tagawa Gardens Grey Kitty Lawn Care Program takes the guesswork out of spring lawncare!
If you struggle to have a healthy green lawn, you’re in luck! All you need to do is stop by Dick’s Corner at Tagawa’s and pick up a copy of our Grey Kitty Lawn Care Program. Thanks to John, our top lawn care adviser, all of the steps to a better, more vigorous lawn are laid out in a handy tip sheet, free for the asking. And now is the time to get going!
Late March into April…
With the arrival of spring, the first step to a healthy lawn is to apply a pre-emergent if weeds have been a problem in the past. Tagawa’s has several different products to choose from. The staff at Dick’s Corner will be happy to guide you. Just remember that if your lawn is thin and you’re thinking about over-seeding with grass seed this spring, you don’t want to use a pre-emergent now.
This is also an excellent time to apply granular Revive. This natural organic soil treatment was developed in Denver forty years ago. Initially, it was available only to lawn care professionals. Now it’s popular with homeowners, too, as a way to “make water wetter,” improving water’s ability to penetrate into the soil. Revive is available at Tagawa’s in either granular or liquid form.
Revive can be applied any time of year. But after an especially dry winter, helping your lawn take advantage of any moisture Mother Nature might provide in the weeks to come would be a great idea.
April and May
A deep core aeration may be one of the most helpful…. and most overlooked ways to improve your lawn. It’s all about helping the roots and the soil around them be at their best.
Healthy soil helps make roots healthy. Pulling up soil plugs that are at least two-inches long opens the root zone to air and moisture, and that encourages the soil organisms to thrive.
Be sure your lawn has been well watered before you aerate to encourage the deepest holes possible. After aerating, some people prefer to rake up the plugs. I just leave mine on the lawn. They’ll break down fairly quickly and return nutrients to the soil.
Also in April or May
Once you’ve aerated, it’s time to feed. Start by feeding the soil first. Tagawa’s recommends an application of Natural Guard Granular Humate, or “HuMic.” This is a highly concentrated soil conditioner that enhances your lawn’s ability to take up nutrients. And it’s great for stimulating root growth. Remember happy soil = happier roots = happier lawn. You get the idea.
HuMic is not a substitute for fertilizer, but in our challenging Colorado soils, it can add an extra boost to your lawn’s general vigor.
EKO Lawn Topdressing is another way to enrich the soil and encourage more lush top growth in your lawn. It’s especially helpful in areas where the grass is thin and showing signs of stress.
EKO Lawn Top Dressing is a sifted compost that is especially beneficial right after aeration. It will filter down into the aeration holes and help maintain access for air and water. Top dressing can be applied about a quarter-of-an-inch thick and loosely scattered across the lawn by hand. It’s too dense to apply with a conventional spreader.
An application of top dressing also makes a great bed for areas where you want to apply seed or sod.
May or June
The last, but certainly not the least of the spring lawn care chores is a quality slow-release fertilizer. Tagawa’s carries several, including Richlawn Pro-Rich, Richlawn Organic 100 and Colorado’s Own Lawn Food.
All of these fertilizers are formulated for growing conditions in Colorado, unlike some national brands. Proper fertilization can go a long way toward helping a lawn get healthy and stay healthy, just as a proper diet helps people fight off illnesses. A lawn that’s “starving” will be far more susceptible to problems with insects and disease.
If you’ve just seeded or re-seeded a lawn, hold off on fertilizing until after the new grass has grown tall enough to mow twice. The tender seedlings could be damaged by even a slow-release lawn food before then.
And as always, read and follow directions
All of the products recommend in Tagawa’s Grey Kitty Lawn Care Program should be used exactly as their labels recommend. Over-applying the products or any off-label misuse can damage the plants you’re trying to nurture.
And lastly, some tips on mowing
Once your spring lawn care checklist is finished, don’t ruin your efforts by using the same old dull mower blade. A sharp blade will take the grass down with a clean, precise cut. A dull blade will, in effect, rip off the top of the grass. Sharpen or replace your mower blade whenever you notice that the cut edges of the grass aren’t crisp and smooth.
And remember to keep your grass at about three inches high. That will help crowd out weeds and shade the base of the grass plants from our intense Colorado sun.
Turf experts also recommend that ideally, we should avoid removing more than one-third of the height of the grass in any single mowing. If your lawn has grown especially tall, take it down in stages over the course of a few days to keep from shocking the grass by removing too much of the leafy growth at one time.
Dick’s Corner is at your service!
If you have questions about your lawn, the Tagawa staff at Dick’s Corner is ready to help! Bring in pictures on your smartphone to help us understand the layout of your yard and any lawn problems that you’re facing.
See you at Tagawa’s!
