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Although we've had beautiful, warm days early on this spring; don't be too eager to start working on your lawn. Mid-April is too early to mow or fertilize your lawn. Let the grass come out of dormancy slowly. Fertilizing in April can actually stress your lawn and encourage the growth of weeds.

The last few weeks of October are the best time to fertilize your lawn. This will provide grass with needed nutrients for spring growth. A general rule of thumb for turf grass is to apply two-thirds of the year's fertilizer in the fall and one-third from mid-May to mid-June. You should at least wait until you've mowed your lawn once before applying fertilizer in the spring.

Be sure to use a fertilizer with no phosphorus to prevent pollution from run-off to your watershed. This became the law in Minnesota last year. The only exceptions are for newly seeded lawns or when a soil test indicates the soil is deficient in phosphorus. Most soils contain enough phosphorus to maintain grasses. Water the lawn for one to two hours after applying fertilizer.

In the twin cities, on average, the amount of rainfall is greater than the amount of water needed by grass plants in each month, except June, July, August and September. Consequently in most years, lawn irrigation during April and May should be minimal or unnecessary.

To maintain a healthy, green lawn all summer, about one inch of water per week, including rainfall, will be needed. The most efficient time to water is early morning. Less water is lost to evaporation due to lower temperatures and less sunlight.

Roots grow where there is water, so if you consistently wet only the top few inches of soil, the roots do not venture any deeper. You may think that you're doing your lawn a favor by sprinkling lightly every day or two for a half-hour, but you're not! It leads to roots that become accustomed to finding water there and they grow shallowly.

Strong, deep roots are essential to growing a healthy lawn with few diseases and weeds, and one that perseveres during a drought. This is because deep roots have access to the underground water supply. Keep a rain gauge to measure rainfall. If it doesn't total about one inch per week, water once to reach the needed amount.

Late summer is the best time to seed, when conditions are favorable for germination and growth. In addition, fewer weed seeds are germinating that might compete with the grass seedlings. Seeding can be done in the spring, but high summer temperatures often reduce the chance of success. Most annual weeds that compete with new grass seedlings germinate in the spring.

Newly seeded areas need to be kept moist until the seed sprouts. Covering the area lightly with straw helps keep the area moist and reduces the chance that seeds will blow away.

For shady locations, look for mixtures specifying shade tolerance. These will contain fine fescues along with some shade-tolerant Kentucky bluegrass.

For sunny areas, use mixtures of primarily Kentucky bluegrass and some perennial ryegrass.

Mowing your lawn won't likely be necessary until the middle or end of May. Good practices are to mow high, mow frequently and allow clippings to return to the lawn. Mow often enough so that no more than one-third of the leaf is removed at a time. Thatch should not be a problem because cutting off only one-third of the blade will give it time to breakdown.

Thatch can occur when someone has waited to long to mow and too much is cut at one time. In essence, there's more grass to decompose and it builds up in the lawn.

If grass is cut too severely, root growth slows and the grass is less vigorous and more subject to stress. Stressed lawns are taken over by weeds and diseases.

Remember to never mow wet grass; it mows unevenly. Make sure to use sharp mower blades, not dull. Shredded grass blades are more susceptible to disease invasion. It is worth taking the time to sharpen the blades regularly.

Using the right type of grass seed for your lawn, along with proper fertilizing, watering and mowing techniques will lessen the chances of weeds and diseases. Another bonus is that the need for chemical pesticides will be minimal and you'll have a picturesque, lush landscape!

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UPCOMING CLASSES:

Tuesday, May 2––Growing asparagus

Saturday, May 6––Making and Planting Hypertufa Troughs

Tuesday, May 9––Growing Melons, Beans, Corn and Squash.

Call the office to register.

PLANT SALES:

Pick up will be Saturday, May 6 at the Senior Center from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. You can still purchase raspberry, grape and blueberry plants (strawberry and asparagus are sold out). There will also be native plants available for sale at all classes.

VOICE MAIL:

You can leave a question for a volunteer Master Gardener on their voicemail at 651-674-4417. Depending on the volume of calls, they try to respond within a couple of days. During office hours ask for the Master Gardener voicemail, after hours, select ext. 18. You could also bring a sample to any of the classes and a Master Gardener will be glad to help you.

Please note that there is no longer staff at the North Branch Office who can answer gardening questions.

Starr Carpenter

Chisago Co. Master Gardener Coordinator

38780 Eighth Ave.

North Branch MN 55056

651.674.4417

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting

to improve the world." Anne Frank

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