by
Gabby Hyman, All About Lawns Columnist
By late January and early February, it can feel just like spring in some parts of the country. Your lawn may also respond to continuously warm weather, beginning the process of waking up dormant grasses from the roots. But not all mild or unseasonable weather spells spring; and February lawn care advice can really vary from city to city. While it may be warm, February to an Austin, Texas lawn is decidedly different from one in Phoenix, Arizona.Average temperatures in Austin during February can climb into the low 50s, while in Phoenix, the average temperature in President's Month is a downright balmy 70. That means you may be too late to work de-thatching in Phoenix, and too early to lay down spring weed control in Austin. Let's look at these simple spring chores for each region.
Austin Spring Lawn De-thatching
February is a great time to reduce thatch and weeds on an Austin lawn. Mow your grass down to about an inch and rent a vertical mower (or power rake). Tell your rental agent which type of grass you have so the blades can be set before you walk out of the shop.
Zoysia grass, for example, needs a closer spacing than St. Augustine grass. If you're antsy about power tools, call in a local lawn service. If you have a small lawn, you can try the work with a manual thatching rake.
Weed Control for the Phoenix Lawn
Pre-emergence weed application for Phoenix lawns is ideally timed for the weeks from February 25 to March 5. Sold as granules or powders that need wetting down, pre-emergent grass weed applications include prodiamine, treflan, dacthal surflan, baylan, pendimethalin, and ronstar. Check with your local lawn care or garden center to make sure you use the application ideally suited for your seed type. Irrigate and/or "rain it in".
Gabby Hyman has created online strategies and written content for
Fortune 500 companies including eToys, GoTo.com, Siebel Systems,
Microsoft Encarta, Avaya, and Nissan UK.
