The time is here. The weather is warming and your grass is starting to green. To get your grass ready for a healthy, lush summer, there are a few maintenance tasks for you to do.
First things first – weeds. While Zoysia grass is incredibly resilient and can choke out many weeds on its own, it is not entirely immune to the occasional weed. Start your spring prep by spot-weeding any that have appeared over the winter or early spring. If you find yourself faced with weeds from the crabgrass family, you’ll need to use a pre-emergent product that will kill the seeds before they have a chance to germinate. For the best results, pre-emergent products should be used in early spring and again in the fall.
As new green shoots start appearing, this is the time to apply your fertilizer. There are three great options for giving your Zoysia a leg up as the growing season starts. First is our water-soluble Nutri–20 fertilizer. Second, we sell organic Turf Thrive, a concentrated microbial treatment that strengthen your lawn naturally. Third, Stim-U-Root is a starter fertilizer that can be used when you first plant the plugs. Remember most granulate type fertilizers are not appropriate for zoysia lawns. Read all labels carefully.
If possible, take some time to aerate your lawn. It is one of the single best things a homeowner can do for an established lawn. Aeration is the process of poking holes in your lawn to allow water and nutrients to penetrate to the roots of the grass. Aeration machines are generally available from equipment rental stores. We’ve created a list of Do’s and Don’ts of lawn aeration that can be found here.
Finally, check to see how much thatch is building up in your lawn. This layer of material called “thatch” is an accumulation of cuttings and stems that build up between the grass blades. This buildup can prevent air, water, and light from reaching the surface of the soil. You can remove thatch by using a hard rake or our organic liquid thatch remover. This doesn’t need to be done every year, just when necessary.