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For homeowners:
Seasonal Tips
For insect and weed management information visit the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County website: https://ccesuffolk.org/ or call (631) 727-7850.
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General Lawn Care Tips
- Do not apply fertilizer prior to storms.
- Seed bare spots any time to crowd out weeds.
- Mow high (3"or more) to encourage a strong root system.
- Leave the clippings on the lawn to recycle nutrients.
Seasonal tips:
Note: Dates are approximate, depending on year-to-year weather differences.
Early spring (Before April 1)
- Don't damage turf while cleaning up branches and other winter debris. Footsteps on wet ground can compact the soil, damage turf and may give weeds a foothold. Wait for the ground to dry and stabilize.
- If you power rake your lawn, take care not to tear up the grass.
- Take a soil sample to have tested to determine if the soil pH needs to be adjusted and if your lawn will need phosphorus or potassium.
- Do not apply fertilizer or allow your lawn service to apply fertilizer to frozen or saturated ground or onto snow. Much of the fertilizer can run off and end up polluting our ponds, streams, rivers, lakes and estuaries. Remember fertilizer applications are prohibited before April 1.
- Introduce Kentucky bluegrass into your lawns by broadcasting seed while soils temperatures are below 50°F.
- Reseed thin areas with perennial ryegrass for quick germination in early spring. If the lawn had a heavy population of crabgrass last year a herbicide application may be warranted. Pre-emergence applications are usually applied when forsythia flowers start to wither.
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Mid-spring (April 1 – June)
- If the lawn is dense delay fertilizer applications to around Memorial Day for most home lawns. Spring fertilizer applications should not exceed .75 lb. nitrogen per 1,000 square feet, the typical amount for most lawn fertilizer.
- Do not apply any fertilizer within two days of mowing if grass is actively growing.
- Mow high (3"or taller) to encourage a strong root system.
- Repair thin turf or bare spots. They allow light to reach the soil, warming it up sooner and encouraging weed seed germination.
- Overseed to increase turf density.
- Time crabgrass herbicide applications for when they will be most effective. Crabgrass herbicide applications made too early or too late are wasteful.
- Avoid coring soils that are too wet or too dry. Core aeration in spring may be necessary if the soils are compacted.
- If you want to get rid of dandelions spraying 2,4-D amine (the formulation found in most home broadleaf herbicides) will not be effective until at least 225 GDDs (Growing Degree Days) have accumulated since March 1. Learn more about GDDs and how they can help you to determine a more precise timing of pest control strategies.
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Summer (June, July, August)
- Check for grubs and surface feeding insects. Your lawn can handle a certain amount of insect pressure so treatment may not be necessary. Learn how to scout and suggested thresholds for action.
- Leave the clippings on the lawn to recycle nutrients.
- Sharpen your mower blade to reduce water loss and damage to plants after mowing. Also avoid mowing during the hottest part of the day.
- Unless you have an in-ground irrigation system or small area, consider not watering and allowing the grass to go dormant and turn brown until weather cools. If you water, water right. More about watering lawns.
- Avoid fertilizing during summer as it is usually less beneficial. Lawns are under stress in the summer -- especially if not irrigated -- and grass can't use fertilizer efficiently during the summer.
- Don't renovate. Midsummer is not a good time to reseed or renovate lawns. Wait until temperatures cool. Best time for Long Island is late August until late September.
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Fall (September, October, November)
- If you fertilize only once a year, a single application early September is the best time. Most home lawns with modest expectations do just fine with a single fall fertilization. Apply no more than 1 lb. nitrogen per 1,000 square feet and select a fertilizer source which contains at least 50% slow release nitrogen.
- Control broadleaf weeds in fall. Controlling broadleaf weeds like dandelion, clover, plantain is best done in the fall. If hand pulling or digging is not practical for your lawn and large areas are infested with a wide variety of broadleaf weeds, a herbicide treatment may be necessary.
- Do not fertilize during "Indian summer" - a warm period following hard frost. This may cause excessive topgrowth, reduce root storage and increase the likelihood of winterkill.
- Keep up the regular frequency of mowing and be sure to keep lawn clippings and tree leaves out of roadways or drains. Leaves can blow or wash away and pollute waterways with phosphorus. Shred fallen leaves with a mulching mower or collect leaves and compost them before snowfall mats down the lawn, which can kill turf.
- Avoid walking on grass until frost burns off. Foot traffic can easily injure or kill frosted plants.
- Do not fertilize after November 1.
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Winter
- Avoid walking on grass until frost burns off. Foot traffic can easily injure or kill frosted plants.
- This is a good time to maintain your mower, including sharpening the blade and adjusting its cutting height.
- Avoid plowing or shoveling salt-laden snow onto the grass. Apply only enough salt to do the job after you remove the snow. Calcium chloride based de-icing salts don't cause as much damage as sodium chloride.
- Even though it's often suggested, do not use urea or other fertilizers as de-icing salts. They can run off when snow melts and pollute surface waters and groundwater.
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