Take your Louisiana lawn from ugly to elegant this spring: A how-to from Dan Gill

Although our lawns have not yet begun active growth, it’s time to start planning your strategy to have an attractive, healthy lawn this summer.

Because lawns are mostly dormant, or semi-dormant because of the mild winter, they certainly don’t look their best.

Much of the damage you may see in your lawn, however, happened last year, from problems such as insects or diseases or heavy traffic, not from any current problems.

Chinch bugs are not active now but could have damaged your lawn last summer during hot dry weather from June to September. These insects generally kill the grass outright and may be responsible for bare areas you see now.

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In late April or May, evaluate your lawn and decide on any repair work that needs to be done. Bare spots can be fixed at that time by planting new grass to cover the spots (laying sod is the best way).

If your lawn has been on the decline, determine the causes and consider how to put things right heading into spring. There are several common causes of lawn deterioration, including insect, weed and disease problems, heavy traffic, poor soil fertility, excessive thatch and too much shade.

SHADE: In yards where trees have grown large, shade is a common reason for grass to decline. All of our lawn grasses, including Bermuda, zoysia, centipede and St. Augustine, need sun for most of the day to do well (St. Augustine tolerates the most shade).

As trees grow larger over the years and cast more shade, areas where grass once did well may no longer get enough light. In areas that are too shady for grass to grow, plant a ground cover or cover the area with mulch.

MAINTENANCE: Poor maintenance, such as improper mowing, can weaken lawns. The most common mistakes are mowing too short or not mowing frequently enough when grass is growing rapidly. Watering the lawn too often or when not needed can lead to increased disease problems.

DISEASE: A fungal disease called brown patch (or large patch) is active this time of year. This winter has been so mild that St. Augustine lawns are only semi-dormant — they are not actively growing but they have remained mostly green. Combine the mild temperatures with abundant rainfall and you have the perfect conditions for a brown-patch outbreak. As a result, brown patch disease is common in area lawns now.

There is an excellent chance that you see round dead areas in your lawn. If the spots are an even tan and not enlarging, this is old damage (brown patch has been active since this past November). If the damage is old and the fungus is no longer attacking the grass, the disease has run its course and treating with a fungicide is not really necessary. If the spots are currently enlarging, the infection is active and treatment is recommended. Make two applications of a lawn fungicide following label directions.

The good news is that the grass usually survives the infection and recovers from brown patch. Areas that are brown now should green up in the spring. If they are not green by May, remove the dead grass and lay new sod to repair the damage.

WEEDS: A lot of people are concerned about the lush growth of cool-season weeds growing in yards now. There are two basic types of cool-season weeds — annual weeds and perennial weeds.

• Annual weeds, such as henbit, chickweed, wild geranium and annual bluegrass, will die on their own as the weather warms in late April and May. Using a lawn weed killer on these weeds is optional. Generally, if you simply mow occasionally over the next few months to prevent them from setting and dropping seeds, you will greatly reduce their numbers next winter.
• Perennial weeds include dollarweed, oxalis, white clover, dichondra, dandelion and Indian strawberry. These are more persistent and damaging to the lawn. Apply a lawn weed killer to your lawn now if perennial weeds are a significant issue. You should also consider applying a weed killer now if you have had problems with sticker weed in the past. Kill it now before it makes the stickers.

If you decide to treat with a lawn weed killer, do not use a weed and feed product (combination fertilizer and herbicide). It is too early to fertilize your lawn. Wait until late March to fertilize. Weed control and lawn fertilization are two separate lawn-care activities that are often done at different times.

• To control summer annual weeds, apply a lawn weed preventer (preemergence herbicide) in late February or the first week in March at the latest. This is to control weed seeds that will germinate in spring and cause problems over the summer.

FOOT TRAFFIC: Lawns that have been damaged by wear and tear from dogs, children and other foot traffic can be helped with extra care.

In early April, use a garden fork to loosen the compacted soil in the bare areas or have the lawn professionally aerated. Then, fertilize the lawn and water the damaged area during dry weather to encourage growth.

Keep traffic to a minimum until the turf has recovered. If the area is large, you may want to lay new sod for faster coverage after loosening the soil. Remember, if the wear and tear continues as before, the grass will disappear again.

Again, do not expect your lawn to look its best right now. But it is not too soon to begin evaluating your lawn and making plans for a great lawn this summer. For complete lawn care information, including fertilization, watering, mowing, dethatching and pest control, the LSU AgCenter has an excellent online publication. Do an Internet search using “LSU AgCenter Louisiana Lawns Best Management Practices” and click on the link.

• BY DAN GILL | Contributing writer

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