March 18, 2024 • 26 mins
Welcome to the Sunshine Gardening Podcast, where we aim to help you nurture your passion for gardening! I’m Kristin Hildabrand, your host. In today’s episode, we talk with guest Kenneth Clayton, University of Kentucky Extension Associate in Turfgrass, who will share some valuable tips on spring lawn care for Kentucky. We will discuss the dos and don'ts of maintaining a healthy Kentucky lawn, from rejuvenating grass to avoiding common pitfalls. Our goal is to equip you with the knowledge and skills to cultivate a lush, thriving lawn that will last throughout the season. So, dust off your lawnmowers, roll up your sleeves, and join us as we dive into spring lawn care!
Interview with Kenneth Clayton:
1. Can you explain the dos and don’ts of Spring Lawn Care in Kentucky? What should we do first? starts at 2:42.
2. Would you recommend seeding the lawn in the spring if you want to improve it significantly if it is thinning? starts at 7:07.
Spring is the second best time for seeding the home lawn in Kentucky.
It is a little more challenging because grassy weeds are now germinating.
If seeding in the spring, you don't want to apply the pre-emergent herbicide.
3. Talk to us about weed and feed products in spring. Yes or no? starts at 8:47
4. What are your guidelines for fertilizing the lawn in the spring? starts at 10:02
5. Spring mowing will soon start. What general recommendations do you give for mowing? starts at 15:18.
6. Are there things we should avoid for spring lawn care in the Kentucky lawn? starts at 19:23.
Don't just fertilize to fertilize. You may not need fertility if the grass is healthy and growing well.
Nitrogen may be the only ingredient needed. Usually, a healthy Kentucky lawn requires 1-2 pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet per year. Soils are generally rich in phosphorus and potassium.
Don't scalp the lawns.
If you do get rain and can't get mowed, raise the mower's height and come in a couple of days later to mow it down so that the clippings do not smother the lawn.
7. What do you recommend for areas in the lawn that receive a lot more shade and not a lot of sunlight? starts at 21:33.
8. If homeowners have questions about home lawn care for Kentucky, do you have a website where they can get more information?
https://ukturf.ca.uky.edu/
Thank you for listening to the Sunshine Gardening Podcast! We hope you found today's episode on the dos and don'ts of spring lawn care in Kentucky informative and helpful in enhancing your gardening skills. Remember, proper care and attention are crucial for maintaining a robust and lively lawn. Thank you to our guest, Kenneth Clayton, for joining us today! To access the show notes for episode 26, please visit our blog at warrencountyagriculture.com.
Before we end, subscribe to the Sunshine Gardening Podcast to receive future gardening tips, inspiration, and knowledge straight to your ears!
Stay tuned for more episodes filled with valuable tips and gardening wisdom. Until then, happy gardening!
Resources:
https://ukturf.ca.uky.edu/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
- Welcome to the SunshineGardening Podcast, where we aim
to help you nurture yourpassion for gardening.
I'm Kristin Hildebrand, your host.
In today's episode, we talkwith guest Kenneth Clayton,
university of Kentucky Extension Associate
and Turf Grass, who will sharesome valuable tips on spring
lawn care for Kentucky.
(00:21):
We will discuss the dos
and the don'ts of maintaininga healthy Kentucky lawn from
rejuvenating grass toavoiding common pitfalls.
Our goal is to equipyou with the knowledge
and skills to cultivate alush through thriving lawn
that will last throughout the season.
So dust off your lawnmowers, roll up your sleeves,
(00:42):
and join us as we dive intothe world of spring lawn care.
- Welcome to the SunshineGardening Podcast.
This gardening show will equip
and inspire avid gardeners with tips
and tricks to help themnavigate the gardening world.
The show will also highlightspecific growing requirements
for seasonal plants
so the sun will shine brighterover their Kentucky garden.
(01:05):
And now here's that ray ofSunshine Garden Enthusiast
and Horticulture extensionagent Kristen Hildebrand
with the University
of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service.
- Alright, welcome back to the podcast.
And again, today we have Kenneth Clayton
and he is talking about alittle bit with us about the dos
and don'ts for Spring Lawn Care.
(01:26):
How are you doing Kenneth?
- I'm doing well Kristen. Thanks
for having me on again. Yes,
- We had a lot of goodfeedback from your spring weed
control for the home lawns.
And again, you can check thatout if you wanna go check
that in the show.
But today we're explaining alittle bit more about the dos
and the don'ts related to springlawn care here in Kentucky.
(01:49):
And it seems like I always, always,
always get questions this time of year
and a lot of folks feellike it's the perfect time
for doing a lot of differentmaintenance practices
for their home lawn, but
whenever I get to talkingto 'em further into the
conversation, then you tell'em some of these things
and it's kind of like a, alittle bit of a surprise.
(02:10):
And I feel like a lot of itkind of relates to marketing
and when you go into these bigbox stores, you know, a lot
of these products areright there in their face,
so they probably feellike it is the right time.
But according to ourresearch based information,
it's really maybe the second best time
or the not so best time.
So that's why you're here today is
(02:31):
to explain a little bit more about the dos
and don'ts with Spring Lawn Care.
I, I wanna just startoff with this question.
What things should we be doing right now
for the home lawn here in Kentucky?
- Yes, absolutely. It's anexciting time right now.
The sun is out, soiltemperatures are warming up, some
of our flowers are starting to bloom.
Um, and the marketing
(02:52):
and the big box stores is in full swing.
Um, so it, it's a great time to get out
and do and do lawn work.
Of course, like you said, weare somewhat playing catch up
as the fall is our number onetime in the state of Kentucky
to do cool season lawn work.
But now is the second best time.
And so things that we wannamake sure that we're doing is to
(03:14):
maintain that equipment, ourlawnmowers and our weed eaters.
And predominantly there wewant to maintain sharp blades.
We want to start the year outright with cutting the grass
and not ripping the grassby maintaining sharp blades.
Um, we're gonna prevent thatoften looking look like a white
lawn when you drive by and itlooks tinged across the top.
(03:36):
Uh, that's often because themower blades were not sharp
enough and so rather thancutting the top of the grass,
it was actually ripping thetop of the grass tearing it.
And so that'll give that
that scraggly white look on your lawn.
So that's first thing is to start out with
properly maintenance equipment.
Another thing to do is to get a soil test.
(03:58):
Take that into your localextension office, um, so
that you can make fertilizerapplications based upon data
and not just guessing.
And then you also wanna, ifyou haven't already, go ahead
and purchase some seed, somepre-emergent herbicides,
fertilizers saying that things
that you may need in the lawnthis spring, um, it's better
(04:18):
to have those ready to go whenthe temperature turns than
to be chasing your tailat the last minute.
The other thing to do is to,
if you have an irrigationsystem, is to check
that irrigation system, um, asyou prime it up this spring,
turn all those heads on and watch them.
Often you're not gonnanotice those deficiencies in
(04:39):
irrigation until we getinto a time of drought,
but now's the time to check those
and make repairs that's necessary.
- Yeah, and sometimes those, especially
after like the winterseason, it's always good
to double check that irrigation system.
I know I don't have one,
but it, you know, if youdo have that added system
and added, you know, benefitof it, then it's always good
(05:00):
to make sure it all workslike it's supposed to.
Now with the, the mowing bladesthat you mentioned there,
is it okay for, for peopleto do that themselves
or should they look at goingat it at a mechanic type shop?
I mean I guess it justkind of goes back to
what the homeowner feels comfortable with,
but what do you suggest?
- Yeah, absolutely.Really if you have a vice
(05:23):
and a file, you can sharpenyour lawnmower blades.
You do not need to purchase brand new
lawnmower blades every year.
It's nice to have an extra blade
or two on hand that are sharp
and ready to go so you can swap those out
and sharpen when you have a rainy day
and time to be in the shop.
But a simple grinder or justa file will work just as well.
(05:44):
Also, you can buy cheapbalances which are helpful.
So when you sharpen those blades,
you set it on this little triangle balance
that will help you to make sure
that you haven't taken off too much
on one side or the other.
Um, which will helpthat blade not to wobble
and rattle so much whenyou're mowing with it,
but I'm sure the mechanicsin your area would be happy
(06:05):
to service your mower for a price though.
That's what whateveryou're comfortable with.
- Yeah. And so if you do go that avenue
or that route, you probably wanna get
in line really quickly.
'cause I know the springreally does fill up really fast
with, with people needingthat service done.
And then with that, that mower blade,
when you put it backon, it's probably good
to know what's top andwhat's bottom right.
(06:28):
- That that's right. Yes.
It, it should be pretty evident when you
put it onto the mower.
You want the sharpen lowest to the ground
so when it spins it is cutting.
- We want you to avoid thatmistake if at all possible.
So just kind of make itlike a little indicator sign
to know what's top and what's bottom.
Yes. Now I, I know Kenneththat a lot of people
(06:49):
come into the office.
You mentioned severalthings that we need to do
to kinda get the mower ready,which I think is great,
but a lot of people thinkthat right now is a good time
to seed their lawn in thespring if they wanna improve it
or say that they've got somethinning that may be going on.
So is spring a good time for that?
- Sure, it is the secondbest time of the year
(07:11):
and with last fall actuallythe past two falls we've been
quite dry so there wasn't always success
in the fall seeding.
Um, so you can definitelyseed in the spring.
It is a little bit more ofa challenge establishing
that seed in the spring
because of the increased weed pressure.
And if you are seeding inthe spring, you do not want
to apply a pre-emergentherbicide before seeding
(07:34):
because that same herbicide
that's gonna prevent your crab grass
and your goose grass fromgerminating is also gonna prevent
your bluegrass and your tallfescue from germinating.
So that's important. We liketo try to seed in the fall
because that allowsthat cool season grass,
two cool growing periods intothe fall going into the winter
(07:54):
and then in the spring headinginto the summer to mature
before it gets hit with the,
the heat of the Kentucky summer.
So you're taking one of thosecool growing seasons away, um,
but it can be successfully doneseeding earlier rather than
later is better and you may need
to use more post-em emergentherbicides, uh, to control some
(08:15):
of those things like crabgrass later in the season.
So that doesn't outcompeteyour new seedlings.
- I appreciate you going alittle bit more in detail
'cause it's almost like can Iput the pre-emergent down if I
seed urgent and how does that look like?
So those are all good thingsto really think ahead and know.
Now the other question that we get,
and this kind of goesback to what we alluded
(08:35):
to earlier in the show, buttalk to us about those weed
and feed products thatare at the, like as soon
as you walk in the doorof the big box stores,
should we apply those orshould we not apply those?
- You are welcome to apply them.
If you have weeds present,
I highly recommend scouting your lawn.
(08:55):
Don't just follow a calendar
or buy the, the four season package,
whatever you need at the big box store.
Walk your lawn and seewhat weeds you have present
and then look at those weed and feeds
and see if that will kill theweeds that you have present.
Typically for herbicides wedon't see as good of results
with granular products as wedo when we spray those weeds,
(09:18):
we see a bettertranslocation, more contact
with the weeds when we spray them.
But not everybody feelscomfortable mixing.
Not everybody has a sprayer
and the granulars are,are very easy to spray.
Another thing to takeinto consideration is
that they often come on fertilizer prills.
So if you don't need thatadditional fertilizer,
(09:39):
you may be pushing growth
and mowing more than whatyou want to with those weed
and feeds, but the herbicides do work
and you want to apply thosewhen the leaf blades are moist
and help the herbicidesto stick to the weeds.
- Now what about the fertilizing aspect
of the weed and feedproducts? How does that work?
- Yeah, so fertility,
(10:00):
and maybe that's a a broadertopic to cover at all is,
is when do I fertilize my lawn?
We say get a soil test,
but there is not a accuratesoil test for nitrogen.
We're typically looking atpotassium and phosphorus
and thankfully in the stateof Kentucky we have soils
that are, are sufficient in potassium
(10:21):
and phosphorus for turf grass.
So typically the limiting factorin the growth of the grass
is either water or nitrogen.
And so in the spring it,
it again is our secondbest time to fertilize.
But I'm not too dogmatic about that.
I like to think about if thegrass is growing sufficiently.
(10:43):
If you're mowing once aweek, your grass is dense,
is the color is suitable to you,
then you don't need to fertilize.
Even if your soil testcomes back from Kristen
and it says you're low in phosphorus
or you're low in potassium,uh, that is a good indicator.
But I like to look at the grass.
For instance, if your grass is,
(11:03):
you're mowing once aweek, it looks healthy.
Unless you want to mow twicea week, there's no need to
apply additional fertility to that lawn.
With fertility, I like to be reactive.
If my lawn is not dense enough and,
and I'm dealing with weedissues, the color's not there,
I'm gonna apply nitrogenfirst and foremost.
(11:23):
And then if my soil test showsthat I'm low in potassium
or low in phosphorus
and the grass is not growingwell then I'll apply those
additional nutrients as well.
Um, I don't like to spend the extra money
and also there's issues with phosphorus
and water quality, so we want
to be careful not to apply those.
Um, mean if you read the literature,
things like dandelions areactually most prevalent in high
(11:47):
potassium soils, so applying potassium in
that situation may increaseyour weed pressure.
So with fertility I liketo be reactive with weeds.
I like to be proactive,
so getting down pre-emergent herbicides
and spraying weeds whenthey're very small.
So that, that's kind ofmy mentality when it comes
(12:07):
to fertility and and weeds on the lawn.
- Yes. And one of theother questions I had
that kinda relates tothe fertilizer end of
of this question is the limesometimes, you know, based on
that soil test that you mentioned there
and we can certainly help you with
that at your local extensionoffice to, you know, send
that off and look at the recommendations.
(12:28):
But what about the liming aspect?
Can that be done anytime of year
or is it better in the spring or the fall?
What's your take on that?
- Yeah, ING can be doneanytime of year and,
and so if your pH is low
and you need to increase that pH
then you can apply Lymethroughout the year.
(12:48):
Right now is a goodtime to do that as well,
but it, it's not an immediate effect.
It's gonna take some timefor that lime to work
to change the pH of the soil.
And with turf grasseswe have a, a wide range
that these grasses will grow healthy.
Typically most of our coolseason grasses around six
and a half is ideal but I'veseen grass grow very well.
(13:10):
Everything from a five
and a half all the way up to an eight.
So it's not an issue inmost cases when you start,
you know, getting down closer to a five.
If you have very acidic soils,
definitely consider liming those soils.
- Yes. And then my nextquestion for the lime also is
(13:31):
that there's differentways that you can buy lime.
I guess there's like an ag lime
and then there's like alsoa more specialized lawn lime
that's pelletized.
Is there one that's better over the other?
Or maybe you can weigh out some
of the pros and cons with that.
I know it seems like thepelletized lime is a little bit
(13:52):
more expensive, but I've heard it can have
its advantages too.
- Yes, and I actuallyhave not applied much lime
because my have have been good.
So speaking from experiencethat I don't have much,
I think the predominantbenefit of the pelletize is
that it's easier to putthrough a spreader, you know,
versus the ag lime, the dustthat that are, you know,
(14:15):
you see being spread in fieldsacross the state are a little
bit messier, a little dustier,a little bit harder to get
through the spreader, butit's my understanding that all
of those products will work equally well.
Um, it's just a, aconvenience factor there.
- Well I appreciate yougiving us that information,
especially with theweed and feed products.
'cause it's like should I applyit? Should I not apply it?
(14:38):
And that's all goodinformation to make us aware.
Now I'm gonna transition just a little bit
and this is talking moreabout the spring mowing
that's gonna, we're embark on
and can get very mundane.
It can get, you know,
where we've got other thingsgoing on too in the spring.
So can you give us likesome general recommendations
(15:01):
for mowing our lawn?
How often should we do that?
I know spring rain candelay that a little bit,
so if you can kind of give ussome general recommendations
for mowing so that way
because it is somethingthat we do all the time,
but it really helps theappearance of the lawn too.
- Yes, so it typically we want
to be mowing our lawns about once a week.
(15:23):
There is, the one third rule is not
to remove more than onethird of the total height
of the grass at any one time,
but I haven't met anyone who goes out
and actually measures their lawn
and then takes one third off.
So it is, it, it is somethingyou read over and over again
and it's a good rule of thumb,
but basically you, youdon't want to mow so much
(15:46):
that you're leaving clumps of clippings
that would then smother the grass
and you don't wanna mow somuch that you're removing all
of the green tissue from those leaves.
So we don't want to scalp the lawns
and we don't want to mow too infrequently
that we would have, you know,so much, uh, clippings there
that it would clump it
and fall onto the lawn to smother those.
(16:08):
So when we mow frequently,
we'll actually get a higherquality denser lawn, um,
than we mow infrequently.
So things like our tall fescuesare bunch clumpy grasses,
but when we plant them dense enough
and we mow them frequently enough,
we don't see those clumps like you would
in a pasture or a field.
So that's important. And even with some
(16:29):
of the robotic mowersthat are now, you know,
mowing the grass every singleday and are lightweight
and can mow when it's wet
because they're never takenoff that much of the grass
and we see really high qualitymowing out of some of those.
So if you can simulate that and,
and not not letting the grass get too high
(16:52):
and not scalping, not mowing too low,
that'll produce a densethick lawn that we desire.
- Yes, and it seems like
whenever you do keep a lotmore of that leak tissue in
that grass, then it seems likeit handles the weed pressure,
it handles the diseasepressure a lot better
because I, I have met some people
that enjoy getting on the lawnmower
(17:14):
but then they end up scalping it
and then that just introducesall kinds of issues.
But for the, the lawnmowers
that can mow out therethemselves, is that something
that's becoming, have you noticed
that more in the big cities
or is it just all over? I'm just curious.
- Well, I consider Lexingtona big city I guess,
(17:34):
but, but I, it is notas popular here in Europe.
It's rather popular
and it's strange to seesomebody mowing their lawn in
certain countries versus robotic mowers.
But we have definitely seen a lot
of the big mower companiesdeveloping robotic mowers.
I know personally, you know,just talking to some family
(17:55):
and friends that are are interested
and a few of 'em ha have tried it.
It's just like all technology, it's
with time those price points will drop
and technology will improve.
So it's definitely aviable option for folks.
The research that I'veseen, the, the turf quality
has been very good withthose robotic mowers.
I'll say too, Kristen,on, on the mowing is
(18:17):
that the height is very importantas well as the frequency.
We talked a little bit aboutall fair about Bermuda grass
and if you can keep your cool season lawns
that tall fescue closerto that four inch mark,
you're gonna have a lot bettersuccess on suppressing things
like Bermuda grass and,and weeds in general.
(18:37):
Um, so typically it, it's counterintuitive
but a lot of folks, you know, they want
to go out in the spring andI'm gonna mow it as slow
as I can so I don't have tocome back and mow it again.
Um, but actually that grassapart from scalping it down
to the dirt, uh, will actually grow faster
when you mow it lowerthan if you mow it higher.
So if you don't likemowing the grass at much,
(18:59):
leaving it at three to fourinch range is gonna help you
to reduce your mowing ratherthan than increase it.
- I like that. I like that good food
for thought if you're trying
to be strategic when you're
when you're out there mowing.
I know that you covered severalthings, uh, the the dues,
but is there some thingsthat we need to avoid
for spraying lawn care in Kentucky?
(19:22):
- We touched on it a little bit there,
but I would say don't just fertilize
to fertilize again, if thegrass is healthy, if it's dense
and it's growing well, you may not need
to apply any fertility to thatlawn, especially if you are
not bagging your clippings
but you're recycling those clippings,
(19:43):
you're returning nutrients to the ground
and you're not taking 'em away.
You, you may need very little inputs
and typically nitrogenmay be the only thing
that you'll need and somewherebetween one to two pounds of
nitrogen for a thousandsquare feet per year.
What we recommend in the state of Kentucky
for a healthy turf grass stand
(20:04):
and especially with things like potassium
and phosphorus, um, forwater quality issues,
we don't wanna apply phosphorus
unless your soil reportshows that it's low.
So it, it is possible with,you know, newer subdivisions
and new builds wherethey've moved dirt around
and you you don't have that good top soil
that was originally there.
Uh, we want to test thoseand see what the levels are,
(20:26):
but generally speaking our soilsare quite rich in potassium
and phosphorus and those twomay not need to be applied.
So good for the environment.Good for your wallet there.
We mention it, don't scalpyour lawn, that's one
that can be unintentional as as well.
We get spring rains.
It can be hard to get out there, the rains
and weather doesn't always work
(20:47):
so you can mow on Saturday mornings.
The thing I would do is if you do get rain
and haven't been on thelawn for a while, try
to raise the height of thatmower and come in and mow it
and then come in again, youknow, a couple days later
and mow that down again so
that we don't have clippingssmothering the lawn with that.
So the, those are the maintwo things I would say
(21:07):
to not do in the spray.
- One quick question I wanna ask you
before we end the show todayis one of the questions
that we do get is say I'vegot an area in my lawn
that doesn't get a lot of sunlight
because I've got a canopy of trees,
whether it be oak or maple.
What do you do in those type situations?
Do you kind of lean in one direction
(21:28):
or do you recommend something else?
I'm just curious how youwould handle that question.
- Yes, that's a, that isa challenging situation
and ultimately to grow grass,
well it does best in full sun,
but most home lawns from the house,
from the trees from Playsetdeal with some amount of shade.
Our fine fest use are typicallyour most shade tolerant,
(21:52):
cool season grasses,
but even our tall fest usecan do well in, in the shade
with minimal traffic on them.
And, and so raising the height
of those plants a little bitcan help to, they can get
as much sunlight aspossible that can help,
but there is challenges there
that you can't always, always win.
So just being willing to deal
(22:14):
with a little bit reducedturf quality there, thinning
of those trees to allow moresunlight in as possible.
Uh, it's another option there as well.
Um, but there's breedingwork being done on,
on grasses every year and newvarieties tend to improve.
So be aware of, of newvarieties that come out.
If you're planning Kentucky31 from 50 years ago,
(22:37):
then a newer variety canpotentially give you a more
shade tolerance.
- Yeah, I always like tohear the, the new research
that's being done, especially
with the shade tolerant varieties.
'cause we always have thatquestion every single year.
I can just bank on it.
Kenneth, I know we've covered a lot
of information about do's
and don'ts related to springlawn care in Kentucky lawns.
(22:59):
Do you have any resources
or publications anywhere
that you would send people ifthey do have more questions
related to these topics?
- Yes, the University ofKentucky's turfgrass science
website has all of ourpublications on there
and if you search UK y turfgrass,
that'll usually be thefirst one that pops up
(23:19):
and we'll also leave a linkto that in the show notes
that you can click and mycontact information is on there.
You get ahold of Kristen,she can get ahold of me
and we can help you answerspecific questions for your lawn.
- Yes. And and hopefullythis episode has been helpful
and you've actuallydone an episode with us
that relates more tospring lawn weed control
(23:42):
for Kentucky lawns too.
So make sure to go back
and check that out on theSunshine Gardening podcast.
Kenneth, thank you so much again
for being a guest on the show
and we hope to have you backin the fall when it's the
absolute best time to be doingthose lawn care practices.
- Yes, absolutely. And as we,we may do a summer episode
as well on warm season grasses.
(24:02):
'cause I know as we get intoWestern Kentucky desirable
Zoya grass and Bermuda grassis definitely a viable option
and we're not too lateto do work on those.
- Yeah, yeah. So, so there you go.
I really appreciate it
and again, we hope to see you again soon.
Thank you. Thank
- You for listening to theSunshine Gardening podcast.
(24:23):
We hope you found today'sepisode on the do's
and the don'ts of SpringLawn Care in Kentucky.
Informative and helpful inenhancing your gardening skills.
Remember, proper careand attention are crucial
for maintaining a robust and lively lawn.
Thank you to our guest, Kenneth Clayton
for joining us today.
To access the show notes for episode 26,
(24:46):
please visit me on theblog@warrencountyagriculture.com.
Before we end the show, make sure
to hit the subscribe button
to the Sunshine Gardening Podcast
so you can receive futuregardening tips, inspiration,
and knowledge straight to your ears.
So stay tuned for more episodesfilled with valuable tips
(25:07):
and gardening wisdom.
Until next time, happy gardening.
- Thanks for listening to theSunshine Gardening Podcast
with Kristen Hildebrand.
If you enjoy today's content, make sure
to hit the subscribe buttonwherever you get your podcast
to catch future segments ofthe Sunshine Gardening Podcast
gardeners keep on digging
and learning more about gardening,
(25:28):
so the sunshine's brighterover your Kentucky Garden.
The Sunshine Gardening Podcasts
with Kristen Hilderbrand is aproduction of the University
of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service.
- Welcome to the SunshineGardening Podcast, where we aim
to help you nurture yourpassion for gardening.
I'm Kristin Hildebrand, your host.
In today's episode, we talkwith guest Kenneth Clayton,
university of Kentucky Extension Associate
and Turf Grass, who will sharesome valuable tips on spring
lawn care for Kentucky.
(00:21):
We will discuss the dos
and the don'ts of maintaininga healthy Kentucky lawn from
rejuvenating grass toavoiding common pitfalls.
Our goal is to equipyou with the knowledge
and skills to cultivate alush through thriving lawn
that will last throughout the season.
So dust off your lawnmowers, roll up your sleeves,
(00:42):
and join us as we dive intothe world of spring lawn care.
- Welcome to the SunshineGardening Podcast.
This gardening show will equip
and inspire avid gardeners with tips
and tricks to help themnavigate the gardening world.
The show will also highlightspecific growing requirements
for seasonal plants
so the sun will shine brighterover their Kentucky garden.
(01:05):
And now here's that ray ofSunshine Garden Enthusiast
and Horticulture extensionagent Kristen Hildebrand
with the University
of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service.
- Alright, welcome back to the podcast.
And again, today we have Kenneth Clayton
and he is talking about alittle bit with us about the dos
and don'ts for Spring Lawn Care.
(01:26):
How are you doing Kenneth?
- I'm doing well Kristen. Thanks
for having me on again. Yes,
- We had a lot of goodfeedback from your spring weed
control for the home lawns.
And again, you can check thatout if you wanna go check
that in the show.
But today we're explaining alittle bit more about the dos
and the don'ts related to springlawn care here in Kentucky.
(01:49):
And it seems like I always, always,
always get questions this time of year
and a lot of folks feellike it's the perfect time
for doing a lot of differentmaintenance practices
for their home lawn, but
whenever I get to talkingto 'em further into the
conversation, then you tell'em some of these things
and it's kind of like a, alittle bit of a surprise.
(02:10):
And I feel like a lot of itkind of relates to marketing
and when you go into these bigbox stores, you know, a lot
of these products areright there in their face,
so they probably feellike it is the right time.
But according to ourresearch based information,
it's really maybe the second best time
or the not so best time.
So that's why you're here today is
(02:31):
to explain a little bit more about the dos
and don'ts with Spring Lawn Care.
I, I wanna just startoff with this question.
What things should we be doing right now
for the home lawn here in Kentucky?
- Yes, absolutely. It's anexciting time right now.
The sun is out, soiltemperatures are warming up, some
of our flowers are starting to bloom.
Um, and the marketing
(02:52):
and the big box stores is in full swing.
Um, so it, it's a great time to get out
and do and do lawn work.
Of course, like you said, weare somewhat playing catch up
as the fall is our number onetime in the state of Kentucky
to do cool season lawn work.
But now is the second best time.
And so things that we wannamake sure that we're doing is to
(03:14):
maintain that equipment, ourlawnmowers and our weed eaters.
And predominantly there wewant to maintain sharp blades.
We want to start the year outright with cutting the grass
and not ripping the grassby maintaining sharp blades.
Um, we're gonna prevent thatoften looking look like a white
lawn when you drive by and itlooks tinged across the top.
(03:36):
Uh, that's often because themower blades were not sharp
enough and so rather thancutting the top of the grass,
it was actually ripping thetop of the grass tearing it.
And so that'll give that
that scraggly white look on your lawn.
So that's first thing is to start out with
properly maintenance equipment.
Another thing to do is to get a soil test.
(03:58):
Take that into your localextension office, um, so
that you can make fertilizerapplications based upon data
and not just guessing.
And then you also wanna, ifyou haven't already, go ahead
and purchase some seed, somepre-emergent herbicides,
fertilizers saying that things
that you may need in the lawnthis spring, um, it's better
(04:18):
to have those ready to go whenthe temperature turns than
to be chasing your tailat the last minute.
The other thing to do is to,
if you have an irrigationsystem, is to check
that irrigation system, um, asyou prime it up this spring,
turn all those heads on and watch them.
Often you're not gonnanotice those deficiencies in
(04:39):
irrigation until we getinto a time of drought,
but now's the time to check those
and make repairs that's necessary.
- Yeah, and sometimes those, especially
after like the winterseason, it's always good
to double check that irrigation system.
I know I don't have one,
but it, you know, if youdo have that added system
and added, you know, benefitof it, then it's always good
(05:00):
to make sure it all workslike it's supposed to.
Now with the, the mowing bladesthat you mentioned there,
is it okay for, for peopleto do that themselves
or should they look at goingat it at a mechanic type shop?
I mean I guess it justkind of goes back to
what the homeowner feels comfortable with,
but what do you suggest?
- Yeah, absolutely.Really if you have a vice
(05:23):
and a file, you can sharpenyour lawnmower blades.
You do not need to purchase brand new
lawnmower blades every year.
It's nice to have an extra blade
or two on hand that are sharp
and ready to go so you can swap those out
and sharpen when you have a rainy day
and time to be in the shop.
But a simple grinder or justa file will work just as well.
(05:44):
Also, you can buy cheapbalances which are helpful.
So when you sharpen those blades,
you set it on this little triangle balance
that will help you to make sure
that you haven't taken off too much
on one side or the other.
Um, which will helpthat blade not to wobble
and rattle so much whenyou're mowing with it,
but I'm sure the mechanicsin your area would be happy
(06:05):
to service your mower for a price though.
That's what whateveryou're comfortable with.
- Yeah. And so if you do go that avenue
or that route, you probably wanna get
in line really quickly.
'cause I know the springreally does fill up really fast
with, with people needingthat service done.
And then with that, that mower blade,
when you put it backon, it's probably good
to know what's top andwhat's bottom right.
(06:28):
- That that's right. Yes.
It, it should be pretty evident when you
put it onto the mower.
You want the sharpen lowest to the ground
so when it spins it is cutting.
- We want you to avoid thatmistake if at all possible.
So just kind of make itlike a little indicator sign
to know what's top and what's bottom.
Yes. Now I, I know Kenneththat a lot of people
(06:49):
come into the office.
You mentioned severalthings that we need to do
to kinda get the mower ready,which I think is great,
but a lot of people thinkthat right now is a good time
to seed their lawn in thespring if they wanna improve it
or say that they've got somethinning that may be going on.
So is spring a good time for that?
- Sure, it is the secondbest time of the year
(07:11):
and with last fall actuallythe past two falls we've been
quite dry so there wasn't always success
in the fall seeding.
Um, so you can definitelyseed in the spring.
It is a little bit more ofa challenge establishing
that seed in the spring
because of the increased weed pressure.
And if you are seeding inthe spring, you do not want
to apply a pre-emergentherbicide before seeding
(07:34):
because that same herbicide
that's gonna prevent your crab grass
and your goose grass fromgerminating is also gonna prevent
your bluegrass and your tallfescue from germinating.
So that's important. We liketo try to seed in the fall
because that allowsthat cool season grass,
two cool growing periods intothe fall going into the winter
(07:54):
and then in the spring headinginto the summer to mature
before it gets hit with the,
the heat of the Kentucky summer.
So you're taking one of thosecool growing seasons away, um,
but it can be successfully doneseeding earlier rather than
later is better and you may need
to use more post-em emergentherbicides, uh, to control some
(08:15):
of those things like crabgrass later in the season.
So that doesn't outcompeteyour new seedlings.
- I appreciate you going alittle bit more in detail
'cause it's almost like can Iput the pre-emergent down if I
seed urgent and how does that look like?
So those are all good thingsto really think ahead and know.
Now the other question that we get,
and this kind of goesback to what we alluded
(08:35):
to earlier in the show, buttalk to us about those weed
and feed products thatare at the, like as soon
as you walk in the doorof the big box stores,
should we apply those orshould we not apply those?
- You are welcome to apply them.
If you have weeds present,
I highly recommend scouting your lawn.
(08:55):
Don't just follow a calendar
or buy the, the four season package,
whatever you need at the big box store.
Walk your lawn and seewhat weeds you have present
and then look at those weed and feeds
and see if that will kill theweeds that you have present.
Typically for herbicides wedon't see as good of results
with granular products as wedo when we spray those weeds,
(09:18):
we see a bettertranslocation, more contact
with the weeds when we spray them.
But not everybody feelscomfortable mixing.
Not everybody has a sprayer
and the granulars are,are very easy to spray.
Another thing to takeinto consideration is
that they often come on fertilizer prills.
So if you don't need thatadditional fertilizer,
(09:39):
you may be pushing growth
and mowing more than whatyou want to with those weed
and feeds, but the herbicides do work
and you want to apply thosewhen the leaf blades are moist
and help the herbicidesto stick to the weeds.
- Now what about the fertilizing aspect
of the weed and feedproducts? How does that work?
- Yeah, so fertility,
(10:00):
and maybe that's a a broadertopic to cover at all is,
is when do I fertilize my lawn?
We say get a soil test,
but there is not a accuratesoil test for nitrogen.
We're typically looking atpotassium and phosphorus
and thankfully in the stateof Kentucky we have soils
that are, are sufficient in potassium
(10:21):
and phosphorus for turf grass.
So typically the limiting factorin the growth of the grass
is either water or nitrogen.
And so in the spring it,
it again is our secondbest time to fertilize.
But I'm not too dogmatic about that.
I like to think about if thegrass is growing sufficiently.
(10:43):
If you're mowing once aweek, your grass is dense,
is the color is suitable to you,
then you don't need to fertilize.
Even if your soil testcomes back from Kristen
and it says you're low in phosphorus
or you're low in potassium,uh, that is a good indicator.
But I like to look at the grass.
For instance, if your grass is,
(11:03):
you're mowing once aweek, it looks healthy.
Unless you want to mow twicea week, there's no need to
apply additional fertility to that lawn.
With fertility, I like to be reactive.
If my lawn is not dense enough and,
and I'm dealing with weedissues, the color's not there,
I'm gonna apply nitrogenfirst and foremost.
(11:23):
And then if my soil test showsthat I'm low in potassium
or low in phosphorus
and the grass is not growingwell then I'll apply those
additional nutrients as well.
Um, I don't like to spend the extra money
and also there's issues with phosphorus
and water quality, so we want
to be careful not to apply those.
Um, mean if you read the literature,
things like dandelions areactually most prevalent in high
(11:47):
potassium soils, so applying potassium in
that situation may increaseyour weed pressure.
So with fertility I liketo be reactive with weeds.
I like to be proactive,
so getting down pre-emergent herbicides
and spraying weeds whenthey're very small.
So that, that's kind ofmy mentality when it comes
(12:07):
to fertility and and weeds on the lawn.
- Yes. And one of theother questions I had
that kinda relates tothe fertilizer end of
of this question is the limesometimes, you know, based on
that soil test that you mentioned there
and we can certainly help you with
that at your local extensionoffice to, you know, send
that off and look at the recommendations.
(12:28):
But what about the liming aspect?
Can that be done anytime of year
or is it better in the spring or the fall?
What's your take on that?
- Yeah, ING can be doneanytime of year and,
and so if your pH is low
and you need to increase that pH
then you can apply Lymethroughout the year.
(12:48):
Right now is a goodtime to do that as well,
but it, it's not an immediate effect.
It's gonna take some timefor that lime to work
to change the pH of the soil.
And with turf grasseswe have a, a wide range
that these grasses will grow healthy.
Typically most of our coolseason grasses around six
and a half is ideal but I'veseen grass grow very well.
(13:10):
Everything from a five
and a half all the way up to an eight.
So it's not an issue inmost cases when you start,
you know, getting down closer to a five.
If you have very acidic soils,
definitely consider liming those soils.
- Yes. And then my nextquestion for the lime also is
(13:31):
that there's differentways that you can buy lime.
I guess there's like an ag lime
and then there's like alsoa more specialized lawn lime
that's pelletized.
Is there one that's better over the other?
Or maybe you can weigh out some
of the pros and cons with that.
I know it seems like thepelletized lime is a little bit
(13:52):
more expensive, but I've heard it can have
its advantages too.
- Yes, and I actuallyhave not applied much lime
because my
So speaking from experiencethat I don't have much,
I think the predominantbenefit of the pelletize is
that it's easier to putthrough a spreader, you know,
versus the ag lime, the dustthat that are, you know,
(14:15):
you see being spread in fieldsacross the state are a little
bit messier, a little dustier,a little bit harder to get
through the spreader, butit's my understanding that all
of those products will work equally well.
Um, it's just a, aconvenience factor there.
- Well I appreciate yougiving us that information,
especially with theweed and feed products.
'cause it's like should I applyit? Should I not apply it?
(14:38):
And that's all goodinformation to make us aware.
Now I'm gonna transition just a little bit
and this is talking moreabout the spring mowing
that's gonna, we're embark on
and can get very mundane.
It can get, you know,
where we've got other thingsgoing on too in the spring.
So can you give us likesome general recommendations
(15:01):
for mowing our lawn?
How often should we do that?
I know spring rain candelay that a little bit,
so if you can kind of give ussome general recommendations
for mowing so that way
because it is somethingthat we do all the time,
but it really helps theappearance of the lawn too.
- Yes, so it typically we want
to be mowing our lawns about once a week.
(15:23):
There is, the one third rule is not
to remove more than onethird of the total height
of the grass at any one time,
but I haven't met anyone who goes out
and actually measures their lawn
and then takes one third off.
So it is, it, it is somethingyou read over and over again
and it's a good rule of thumb,
but basically you, youdon't want to mow so much
(15:46):
that you're leaving clumps of clippings
that would then smother the grass
and you don't wanna mow somuch that you're removing all
of the green tissue from those leaves.
So we don't want to scalp the lawns
and we don't want to mow too infrequently
that we would have, you know,so much, uh, clippings there
that it would clump it
and fall onto the lawn to smother those.
(16:08):
So when we mow frequently,
we'll actually get a higherquality denser lawn, um,
than we mow infrequently.
So things like our tall fescuesare bunch clumpy grasses,
but when we plant them dense enough
and we mow them frequently enough,
we don't see those clumps like you would
in a pasture or a field.
So that's important. And even with some
(16:29):
of the robotic mowersthat are now, you know,
mowing the grass every singleday and are lightweight
and can mow when it's wet
because they're never takenoff that much of the grass
and we see really high qualitymowing out of some of those.
So if you can simulate that and,
and not not letting the grass get too high
(16:52):
and not scalping, not mowing too low,
that'll produce a densethick lawn that we desire.
- Yes, and it seems like
whenever you do keep a lotmore of that leak tissue in
that grass, then it seems likeit handles the weed pressure,
it handles the diseasepressure a lot better
because I, I have met some people
that enjoy getting on the lawnmower
(17:14):
but then they end up scalping it
and then that just introducesall kinds of issues.
But for the, the lawnmowers
that can mow out therethemselves, is that something
that's becoming, have you noticed
that more in the big cities
or is it just all over? I'm just curious.
- Well, I consider Lexingtona big city I guess,
(17:34):
but
It's rather popular
and it's strange to seesomebody mowing their lawn in
certain countries versus robotic mowers.
But we have definitely seen a lot
of the big mower companiesdeveloping robotic mowers.
I know personally, you know,just talking to some family
(17:55):
and friends that are are interested
and a few of 'em ha have tried it.
It's just like all technology, it's
with time those price points will drop
and technology will improve.
So it's definitely aviable option for folks.
The research that I'veseen, the, the turf quality
has been very good withthose robotic mowers.
I'll say too, Kristen,on, on the mowing is
(18:17):
that the height is very importantas well as the frequency.
We talked a little bit aboutall fair about Bermuda grass
and if you can keep your cool season lawns
that tall fescue closerto that four inch mark,
you're gonna have a lot bettersuccess on suppressing things
like Bermuda grass and,and weeds in general.
(18:37):
Um, so typically it, it's counterintuitive
but a lot of folks, you know, they want
to go out in the spring andI'm gonna mow it as slow
as I can so I don't have tocome back and mow it again.
Um, but actually that grassapart from scalping it down
to the dirt, uh, will actually grow faster
when you mow it lowerthan if you mow it higher.
So if you don't likemowing the grass at much,
(18:59):
leaving it at three to fourinch range is gonna help you
to reduce your mowing ratherthan than increase it.
- I like that. I like that good food
for thought if you're trying
to be strategic when you're
I know that you covered severalthings, uh, the the dues,
but is there some thingsthat we need to avoid
for spraying lawn care in Kentucky?
(19:22):
- We touched on it a little bit there,
but I would say don't just fertilize
to fertilize again, if thegrass is healthy, if it's dense
and it's growing well, you may not need
to apply any fertility to thatlawn, especially if you are
not bagging your clippings
but you're recycling those clippings,
(19:43):
you're returning nutrients to the ground
and you're not taking 'em away.
You, you may need very little inputs
and typically nitrogenmay be the only thing
that you'll need and somewherebetween one to two pounds of
nitrogen for a thousandsquare feet per year.
What we recommend in the state of Kentucky
for a healthy turf grass stand
(20:04):
and especially with things like potassium
and phosphorus, um, forwater quality issues,
we don't wanna apply phosphorus
unless your soil reportshows that it's low.
So it, it is possible with,you know, newer subdivisions
and new builds wherethey've moved dirt around
and you you don't have that good top soil
that was originally there.
Uh, we want to test thoseand see what the levels are,
(20:26):
but generally speaking our soilsare quite rich in potassium
and phosphorus and those twomay not need to be applied.
So good for the environment.Good for your wallet there.
We mention it, don't scalpyour lawn, that's one
that can be unintentional as as well.
We get spring rains.
It can be hard to get out there, the rains
and weather doesn't always work
(20:47):
so you can mow on Saturday mornings.
The thing I would do is if you do get rain
and haven't been on thelawn for a while, try
to raise the height of thatmower and come in and mow it
and then come in again, youknow, a couple days later
and mow that down again so
that we don't have clippingssmothering the lawn with that.
So the, those are the maintwo things I would say
(21:07):
to not do in the spray.
- One quick question I wanna ask you
before we end the show todayis one of the questions
that we do get is say I'vegot an area in my lawn
that doesn't get a lot of sunlight
because I've got a canopy of trees,
whether it be oak or maple.
What do you do in those type situations?
Do you kind of lean in one direction
(21:28):
or do you recommend something else?
I'm just curious how youwould handle that question.
- Yes, that's a, that isa challenging situation
and ultimately to grow grass,
well it does best in full sun,
but most home lawns from the house,
from the trees from Playsetdeal with some amount of shade.
Our fine fest use are typicallyour most shade tolerant,
(21:52):
cool season grasses,
but even our tall fest usecan do well in, in the shade
with minimal traffic on them.
And, and so raising the height
of those plants a little bitcan help to, they can get
as much sunlight aspossible that can help,
but there is challenges there
that you can't always, always win.
So just being willing to deal
(22:14):
with a little bit reducedturf quality there, thinning
of those trees to allow moresunlight in as possible.
Uh, it's another option there as well.
Um, but there's breedingwork being done on,
on grasses every year and newvarieties tend to improve.
So be aware of, of newvarieties that come out.
If you're planning Kentucky31 from 50 years ago,
(22:37):
then a newer variety canpotentially give you a more
shade tolerance.
- Yeah, I always like tohear the, the new research
that's being done, especially
with the shade tolerant varieties.
'cause we always have thatquestion every single year.
I can just bank on it.
Kenneth, I know we've covered a lot
of information about do's
and don'ts related to springlawn care in Kentucky lawns.
(22:59):
Do you have any resources
or publications anywhere
that you would send people ifthey do have more questions
related to these topics?
- Yes, the University ofKentucky's turfgrass science
website has all of ourpublications on there
and if you search UK y turfgrass,
that'll usually be thefirst one that pops up
(23:19):
and we'll also leave a linkto that in the show notes
that you can click and mycontact information is on there.
You get ahold of Kristen,she can get ahold of me
and we can help you answerspecific questions for your lawn.
- Yes. And and hopefullythis episode has been helpful
and you've actuallydone an episode with us
that relates more tospring lawn weed control
(23:42):
for Kentucky lawns too.
So make sure to go back
and check that out on theSunshine Gardening podcast.
Kenneth, thank you so much again
for being a guest on the show
and we hope to have you backin the fall when it's the
absolute best time to be doingthose lawn care practices.
- Yes, absolutely. And as we,we may do a summer episode
as well on warm season grasses.
(24:02):
'cause I know as we get intoWestern Kentucky desirable
Zoya grass and Bermuda grassis definitely a viable option
and we're not too lateto do work on those.
- Yeah, yeah. So, so there you go.
I really appreciate it
and again, we hope to see you again soon.
Thank you. Thank
- You for listening to theSunshine Gardening podcast.
(24:23):
We hope you found today'sepisode on the do's
and the don'ts of SpringLawn Care in Kentucky.
Informative and helpful inenhancing your gardening skills.
Remember, proper careand attention are crucial
for maintaining a robust and lively lawn.
Thank you to our guest, Kenneth Clayton
for joining us today.
To access the show notes for episode 26,
(24:46):
please visit me on theblog@warrencountyagriculture.com.
Before we end the show, make sure
to hit the subscribe button
to the Sunshine Gardening Podcast
so you can receive futuregardening tips, inspiration,
and knowledge straight to your ears.
So stay tuned for more episodesfilled with valuable tips
(25:07):
and gardening wisdom.
Until next time, happy gardening.
- Thanks for listening to theSunshine Gardening Podcast
with Kristen Hildebrand.
If you enjoy today's content, make sure
to hit the subscribe buttonwherever you get your podcast
to catch future segments ofthe Sunshine Gardening Podcast
gardeners keep on digging
and learning more about gardening,
(25:28):
so the sunshine's brighterover your Kentucky Garden.
The Sunshine Gardening Podcasts
with Kristen Hilderbrand is aproduction of the University
of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service.
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