Want a gorgeous lawn? Then you’ll need to invest in it. One surefire way to keep your lawn looking healthy and green year-round is to implement a Raleigh lawn care schedule that extends throughout the year.
We’re here to help. Here’s a month-by-month to-do list you can follow for a beautiful lawn throughout 2020.
Spring
In North Carolina, we’re lucky to have mild winters that can begin to warm up as early as February. As such, this is the time of year when it’s time to get serious about your lawn care.
FEbruary
- Apply a crabgrass pre-emergent herbicide to dissuade any predatory weeds from taking over your lawn
- Prune any ornamental trees on your lawn
- Prune any flowers or shrubbery including grasses, perennials, and roses
March
- Apply mulch to protect your lawn from weeds and prevent soil erosion
- If your lawn is Fescue, you may reseed it and begin fertilizing it as well
- Mow your Fescue lawn at a height of about three to three-and-a-half inches
- If your lawn is a shorter grass like Bermuda or Zoysia, set your blade height between two and two-and-a-half inches to encourage thickening it
- Prune the tips of any new plants to encourage growth
April
- Lower your mower an additional notch
- Fertilize your trees and any shrubbery for improved health
- In late April, you may begin reseeding or plugging warm season grasses
Summer
Summertime in Raleigh means a green, vibrant lawn with soft, plush grass. However, if you don’t take proper care of your yard, you can expect it to be stiff and yellow.
Throughout the summer, you should check your soil’s moisture levels regularly and water it with at least an inch of water every week. Here’s everything else you need to do for your lawn care in summer:
May
- Apply weed killer to your lawn
- Never cut more than a third off your grass
- Aerate your lawn periodically during the summer
June
- Collect grass clippings after every mow
- Recycle or use clippings as mulch to return necessary nutrients back to your lawn
- Continue to fertilize your lawn unless it is Centipede
July
- While maintaining your summer lawn care routine, keep an eye out for discolored grass as this indicates lawn stress
- Continue mowing and watering weekly
Fall
Goodbye summer, hello fall. It’s time to prepare your lawn for a long winter nap.
This is also the best time of year to aerate your lawn. Proper aeration and seeding will help protect your lawn from compaction and other factors that might cause stress, discoloration, and plant death.
August
- Water once a week for at least 30 minutes
- Fertilize regularly
- Keep mower blades sharp
September
- Plant any planned trees or shrubbery
- Reseed your Fescue lawn and apply a new fertilizer
October
- Continue watering regularly
- Over seed with annual rye
Winter
Winter doesn’t mean you can forego your lawn care routine!
Generally speaking, you should rake your leaves regularly and pick up other lawn debris when it falls. This protects your lawn and keeps it aerated.
November
- Continue regularly mowing until your grass stops growing
- Remove fallen leaves
December
- Get your mower serviced
- Sharpen mower blades
January
- Take a soil sample and test its pH balance
- If temperatures remain warm, water your lawn every 14 days
Need Help Maintaining Your Lawn?
Give us a call here at Just Green for all your Raleigh lawn care services. We have everything you need to help you implement a Raleigh lawn care schedule throughout the seasons.