We’re all enjoying these first few weeks of spring, and your turf probably is as well! As it begins to grow and flourish, it’s important that you have a plan for keeping it healthy and vibrant as the weather continues to warm up. Successful turf care in Western North Carolina doesn’t have to be difficult, but there are specific steps you need to take to ensure that your turf continues to look its best.

First, be sure to properly fertilize your lawn. Fertilizing will inhibit the growth of weeds and strengthen the root system, which will help your lawn to absorb water more quickly and prevent those unsightly brown spots that appear as the weather turns hotter.

Next, don’t let weeds to take over. Keeping weeds under control will allow for thicker, greener grass and allow your plant life to thrive — it will also improve your soil structure.

Seeding and aeration are essential to good turf maintenance. Choosing the correct grass seed for our region is important — cool season grasses such as fine fescue and Kentucky bluegrass grow well here in the mountains. Aeration removes small cores of soil from the top layer of soil to allow nutrients, water and air to get down in there and do their thing.

Keep grubs and moles out. Grubs are the larvae of Japanese beetles; you can tell you have them if your lawn is spongy, if you can pull up layers of your lawn easily, or if you see a lot of birds, raccoons, or skunks digging around for a nice grubby meal. The secret to eliminating grubs is to kill them before they hatch with a grub control product. Moles feed on grubs, but they’ll also chew up your grass, plant roots, and bulbs as they create tunnels under your lawn. Seeing little mounds of dirt across your lawn is a telltale sign of moles. To get rid of them, use castor oil or natural plant repellents, or dig a trench around your lawn or garden, then fill it with rocks or line it with wire to prevent moles from entering.

Regularly check your lawn’s PH. You can purchase a soil testing kit at local hardware or garden stores to check its PH levels. Our soil in WNC is naturally acidic; a lime treatment works well to balance out its acidity. 

Dollar Spot, Fairy Ring, Gray Snow Mold: these are just a few of the types of diseases our WNC turf can develop. Be aware of the types of turf disease common in our region, and learn how to treat them. 

If all of this seems like a lot to maintain, give TPS a call! One of our TPS technicians will provide a FREE lawn evaluation to help you determine which of our turf care programs will best meet your needs.