Winter lawn care activities (1-25-10)

Even though most of us are delighted that our lawns have gone dormant, and we are enjoying a reprise from the mowing chore, there are a few things we can and should be doing now to ensure a more aesthetic and healthy lawn this spring.

Controlling winter weeds with post-emerge herbicides now will be much easier than waiting until they reach maturity and become unsightly.

The recent rains and cold wet soil allows much easier detection and marking of poor drainage areas that will require repair once we get drier days. 

All deciduous leaves should have fallen from trees by now and any remaining leaf litter should be removed from the lawn.  

Now is a great time to take a soil sample to determine soil pH and nutrient deficiencies. When needed, lime can improve the soil acidity and make other nutrients more available. It generally takes months for lime to react and dramatically change the soil pH, so if a soil pH analysis indicates lime is needed, it can be applied at any time.  Although dormant warm-season turf species will not benefit from fertilization and should not be fertilized until they are actively growing, unless they have been overseeded with a cool-season turf species, we can begin making plans for a spring fertilization program. 

Published January 25, 2010

Dr. Wayne Wells is an Extension Professor and Turfgrass Specialist. His mailing address is Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, Mail Stop 9555, Mississippi State, MS 39762. wwells@ext.msstate.edu