It’s been a tough winter for lawns, trust me. Those 15 inches or more of snow packed on top of your grass right now is going to wreak havoc this spring. These spring lawn tips are sure to help you get off to the right start in 2011.

Spring lawn aeration

I have talked before about aerating the lawn, but it is never more important than after heavy snow fall. All that extra snow weighs heavy on the soil, compactin and making it hard. Aeration will loosen up this compacted soil.

Aeration in the spring also helps to air out areas that are effected by snow mold. If you want to throw in a little seed after the aeration, feel free.

Spring lawn raking

A little light raking never hurt anyone! It’s good for the lawn and good for your shoulders as well. We want to rake a bit to loosen up any organic material that has been packed down into the thatch layer. The key here is air flow.

Spring lawn fertilization

The last piece of winter recovery lawn strategy is some basic fertilizing. Get a fertilizer that is balanced with nitrogen and phosphorous. These two elements help wake the lawn up from its winter slumber.

Follow these three simple tips in spring this year, and you are bound to get good results with your lawn all season long.

When you look at the three numbers on a bag of fertilizer, the first one is always nitrogen. You probably have noticed that this number is usually higher than the others as well. That’s because nitrogen is arguably the most important nutrient your lawn can get during the growing season.

What nitrogen does for the lawn

1. Healthy lawn growth. Nitrogen pushes the grass to lengthen its blades, adding more leaf structure to soak in sunlight. The more sunlight the grass can effectively catch, the more photosynthesis can take place, loading sugars down into the root system of the lawn. The more sugars are thrown into the roots means more roots are made. The cycle then starts over as more roots leave more room to push up more blades, making nitrogen important to keep the process moving along. Pretty cool right?
2. Healthy lawn color. Nitrogen also helps the lawn maintain that pretty, deep green color we all strive for. The greener the better for looks, of course, but also for photosynthesis. Green leaf surface area is optimal for grabbing sun rays. Nitrogen gives the grass that green it needs.
3. Lawn disease resistance. A green lawn that is actively growing will be able to resist disease problems much more readily than an under fertilized one.

The only time nitrogen can be bad for the lawn is when it is used too heavily or in super hot and dry weather. Too much nitrogen in hot weather with no moisture will push growth that is not supported by enough moisture, stressing the lawn big time!

I always recommend you give your lawn at least a half to three-quarters of a pound of nitrogen in the spring, and once again in the fall. That’s enough to keep it going all season long. If you feel you need an extra boost, go ahead and apply a bit more in the late summer, as long as you plan to keep the lawn well irrigated!