What to do (and not to do) to revitalize your grass

You may not be able to do anything about the weather, but you can do something about the mess the winter may have left on your lawn.

Now that spring has sprung, homeowners are finding that the grass underneath all the brush and snow has been compacted down due to the heaviness of the snow.

Usually the snow comes and goes during the winter, said Carol McAlister, owner of Yard N Garden in Fenton. This winter, the snow came early while the grass was still growing in the fall, and it held on and got heavy.

In some areas, leftover snow actually smothered the grass underneath, causing snow mold, a fungal condition that should go away on its own in a few weeks, with regular fertilizing and proper mowing. Fertilizing will help it push through and outgrow the disease.

So now, its time to shake things up a bit by raking the grass gently. Its important that youre gentle with raking, because spring is a sensitive time of year for your yard. The soil is spongy, the plants are tender and weather is unpredictable.

Get the clippings off the grass, mulch it with your mower, and get things moving again, said Mike Fenton of Royalty Services, a full-service lawn company in Fenton. Then re-seed the grass where there are bare spots.

Cool-season grasses, dominant in the tri-county area, can be planted as soon as the air temperatures get into the 60s and soil temperatures are in the 50s. Make sure theres no frost, said Fenton. Plant as soon as temperatures allow, to give seedlings a chance to get established before hot weather hits.

After the grass is up, fertilize.

Fertilize, fertilize, fertilize, said Fenton. The first application can go on right now. Use a pre-emergent fertilizer to give it some new life and keep crabgrass from growing. Pre-emergent fertilizers work for about three months, so homeowners should plan to reapply again during the summer.

Begin mowing your lawn as soon as it needs it, but keep in mind that grass blades do best when you cut no more than a third of the blades length at a time.

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What to do (and not to do) to revitalize your grass