Managing your lawn with patience
- Frank Becker, OSU Extension Wayne County
- April 18, 2023
- 420
As soon as the sun starts to shine more frequently and daytime high temperatures start to get warmer, our itch to get outside and work in the flower beds and mow the lawn starts to get at us. Accordingly, in the last few weeks, I have observed countless homeowners out mowing their yards and running lawn rollers across the lawn. It may seem like the right time to start partaking in these activities, but the best thing to do is be patient and hold off on getting the mower and rollers out.
Our temperatures are starting to get into favorable ranges to promote active grass growth; however, as of writing this, we are still experiencing lows in the 20s and 30s. Ideally, we should wait to start mowing the lawns until the average daily air temperature is above 50 F for at least a week. Thus far we have not had a consistent average daily air temperature above 50 F for longer than three consecutive days.
The other critically important aspect of making the right decision about your lawn during this time of year is the moisture level in the soil. Watching all of the lawn mowers and ATVs pulling lawn rollers through mud and rutting up the yard this spring has let me know for sure it is far too wet to be doing anything in our yards.
If we get a few days without rain and allow our lawns to have some drying time, then we can re-evaluate some of those activities. Putting big ruts through the yard and compacting the soil when it is overly saturated is not going to help the health of the lawn.
Mowing your lawn too early in the season, especially when conditions are not ideal for equipment to run across the lawn, can result in major issues with compaction, reduction in the vigor of the lawn and potential die back. Dull blades and wet soil conditions can result in entire plants being ripped out of the ground, resulting in bare patches around the yard.
Before you get out the mower, lawn roller and weed whacker, take a second to make sure your lawn is actually ready to be worked in. Making the right management decisions now can save you a lot of trouble throughout the rest of the year. Now is a good time to start reseeding some bare spots or broadcast fertilizer. There are some practices, however, that should be put on hold for a while longer.
Frank Becker is an extension educator of agriculture and natural resources with OSU Extension Wayne County. He can be reached at 330-264-8722 or becker.587@osu.edu.