Yard work 101: When summer hits early

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah is getting ready for spring while the state breaks record high temperatures for the month of March. As grass comes out of winter dormancy, there are many options to prepare lawns for leveling and keeping weeds out of the yard.

Before doing anything drastic, it might be a good idea to take the lawn mower out and give the lawn a good pass. This can help decompress grass from the winter snowpack to allow homeowners to better assess the needs of their lawn.

Aerating a lawn has a plethora of benefits. Heavy foot traffic, mowing and natural settling compress soil over time, making it difficult for roots to grow. Aeration loosens compacted soil which allows carbon dioxide to escape and fresh oxygen to enter the soil, helping the soil to absorb water more efficiently and improving fertilizer effectiveness.

It’s best to sew more grass seeds after aerating a lawn. Allow the lawn to settle so that the roots can expand more freely and develop a stronger, more drought-resistant root system.

There is debate on whether to leave or pick up the plugs of grass that are brought out from the aeration process. Those who have a level lawn may want to gather the plugs so they don’t end up back in the holes, allowing the lawn to more naturally decompress. Grass plugs can be added to compost to make more healthy soil.

Homeowners seeking to level out a lawn can rake the grass plugs into the divots of the lawn in addition to adding topsoil to level it out.

 

Leveling a lawn

Worried about twisting an ankle when walking through a yard? There are many different things that can be done to level a lawn out.

A common method of leveling a minorly uneven lawn is topdressing, where soil, compost or sand is added to the lawn to fill in divots or depressions. A mixture of sand and soil is commonly advised, but if a yard soil has a high clay content, sand could hinder the drainage of the yard, so just using soil could work better.

It’s best to do several smaller treatments by adding ¼ to ½ an inch of soil at a time to the low points. Doing too much at a time can smother grass growth in surrounding areas.

For localized depressions deeper than 2 inches, topdressing alone can kill the grass, so you may want to do a “lift and fill” method:

1. Cut the sod: Use a flat spade to slice under the turf in the low area
2. Peel it back: Roll or fold the sod carefully to preserve it
3. Add soil: Fill the depression with quality topsoil, tamp lightly to remove air pockets
4. Replace sod: Lay the grass back down, water thoroughly

If your lawn has widespread divots that topdressing can’t handle, it may be time to do a full regrading of the lawn:

1. Remove existing turf or kill it off
2. Bring in fill dirt and use a skid steer or hand tools to create proper grade
3. Compact and settle the soil
4. Reseed or lay new sod

It may be worth bringing in a lawn service to regrade your lawn, though it can be done on your own.

Maintaining a lawn

One of the positive side effects of having a well maintained, dense lawn is that it will prevent weeds from invading the yard.

Whipping out the herbicide doesn’t need to be the first option for taking out weeds. The first step is identifying what weed you’re dealing with.

There are several apps available to gardeners that can identify weeds, what conditions specific species thrive in and how to adjust accordingly.

For example, if you find dandelions throughout your yard, you may need to work on thickening your grass to prevent them from gaining purchase. By not maintaining your lawn, you are endangering yourself and neighbors to weed invasion.

Weeds like bindweed, spurge and crabgrass are very drought harming. Code enforcement may get involved in cases of an extremely unkempt lawn.

With these different methods of lawn care and revitalization, it is important to remember that Utah is a desert, so you need to look at your local water codes to help conserve water across the state.

Most codes allow watering starting in late April or early May. You can check your water conservation guide or look at water-wise landscape rebates at conservewater.utah.gov.

Remember, it is a long process to get a rich, level, and lush lawn, but the results are worth it.

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