The lawn is a monoculture - one kind of plant over a large area of space -- so it always needs special care to remain healthy. The key is healthy soil underneath and careful maintenance of the grass on top.

These days many people are becoming interested in reduced or no chemical lawn care, and that only makes the rules for quality soil and careful maintenance more important. No matter what fertilizer route you choose, here are some things you can do now to ensure healthy soil underneath your lawn and improve your chances of a great lawn this year. 

Rake. Your spring clean-up should include a thorough raking of the lawn to remove debris.

Core aerate. This reduces compaction of the soil. Remember, your lawn needs air to survive as well as water and sunlight!

Spread and rake in compost. Compost helps build healthy soil to nourish your lawn naturally, and over time, reduces the need for chemical fertilizer.

Overseed the entire lawn with grass seed to fill in open spaces with grass. Remember, weeds will grow where there is space. If you fill all the spaces with new grass shoots, there is less room for weeds.

Prevent the weeds. If you are just starting to build healthier soil under your lawn, you will still need to apply a pre-emergent weed treatment. We have pre-emergent herbicides as well as some herbicide free applications in the Garden Center. Whatever you choose should be applied before the Forsythia bloom. For weeds already present, the least invasive approach is spot treatment and hand pulling. Post-emergent herbicides can be applied a bit later in the spring.

Prepare your lawn mower if you do your own mowing. Sharpen the blade, replace spark plugs and change the oil. Dull lawn mower blades damage grass and allow an entry point for disease.

Mow as high as your mower will allow. Short grass is stressed grass, and we all know that stress contributes to disease. The blades of your grass should be maintained at about 3 inches for best performance. Even if someone else mows for you, be sure that they follow this rule.

Mulch your grass clippings back into the lawn. They return nitrogen to the soil and contribute to the soil health we've been talking about. If you hire a maintenance firm, ask them to follow this practice using a mulching mower.