Spring Has Sprung in New Jersey Time to Get The Lawn Ready

Spring has sprung in New Jersey and after a long winter it is time to get your lawn ready for the season ahead. If you are like me, you take pride in having the nicest lawn on your block. But how do you make sure that your lawn is ready?

I use the Scott's 4 step program, lime, seed, water, and common sense. My lawn stays green all year. And here is how I do it. Keep in mind that I live in Southern New Jersey. It is fairly mild here as I live along the coast so our winters are a little bit milder then surrounding states and even the rest of New Jersey.

• In mid March I apply Scotts Step 1. After a long winter, it feels great to get outside. Today I cleaned everything up in my yard and applied the fertilizer. Because I have dogs, I let it settle for a few hours in my back yard and then water the lawn for about 15 minutes. In the front where my dogs do not go, will get watered the day after application.
• Depending on the weather, I begin watering my yard every third day. Obviously if it rains I change my schedule.
• At the end of March I seed in areas where my dogs have the lawn less then par. This is a constant struggle for me as I have two active large dogs. After this seeding, I keep a bag of seed with a red plastic cup and add seed to affected areas throughout the season.
• It is important to water often when you seed. I usually water 15 to 20 minutes twice a day until the seed comes up. Once it does, I water twice a week.
• In mid April its time to put lime down. Be sure that you need lime before putting it down. If it is determined that your soil can benefit from lime, this will really make your yard green.
• At the end of April it is time to access your yard. If it is thin in places, this is another good opportunity to put seed down and develop a thick lawn. 
• In mid May it is time for step 2. 
• After step 2, I increase watering to three times per week for 30 minutes each time. While you will read that you can soak your yard once a week and it will be fine, I have never found this to be true.
• June, in my opinion, is the most important month to determine what your yard will look like for the rest of the year. Keep your watering schedule and keep an eye on things. Step 2 should stop weeds but it aways seems as though a few still pop up. Be vigilant pulling them ensuring that you get the roots and all. If there is a hole, pour a little seed in it to keep the area thick with grass.
• Decide if you need to lime again. Lime will again bring out the green in your yard. If your soil can benefit from lime, apply it mid month.
• In mid July it is time for step 3. Keep your watering schedule and if you see it browning at all, water every other day for 30 minutes. Continue this until Labor Day.
•  Mid September is time for the last step. After Step 4, you can reduce watering to 2 times per week again. 
• In mid October, lime the yard one more time. Depending on the weather, you can reduce watering to about once per week. 
• Discontinue watering after your final mowing. I usually need to mow until late November.

We will discuss mowing your lawn in another post. Look for it in the next few weeks aka when my lawn needs its first cut.