» 8 Best Practices For Lawn And Garden Prep

Spring is in the air. Warm days outnumber the cool ones. Soon your lawn will need more than the passing glance it has received all winter. A lush, green, healthy lawn or garden doesn’t just happen. It takes hard work, tried and true techniques and help from some of our favorite products.

Test Your Soil. This is an absolute best first step to take so you know exactly what your soil needs. Most state extension services offer in-depth testing of soil samples (find your local Extension office here) or you can grab one from a local home improvement store.
Start a Fertilization Program. Add the fertilizer your soil is craving at the onset of the season. Add a slow release nitrogen supplement once in the spring so it will release until the summer months.
Apply a Crabgrass Preventer. Crabgrass preventer should be the first thing you spread over your lawn in the spring. Compare-N-Save Crabgrass & Sandbur Preventer, containing Surflan®, is a selective pre-emergence surface-applied herbicide for control of annual grasses like crabgrass and sandburs, plus broadleaf weeds. Since it is a pre-emergent, it won’t affect existing crabgrass or weeds.
Use a Great Seed. Our Mayberry Grass Seed is made up of a centipede seed blend that is specially designed to stand up to the harshest southern climates. It has excellent heat tolerance and requires minimal maintenance.
Allow Your Grass To Gain Some Height. Resist this urge to mow too soon. The new growth is gathering sunlight and promoting root growth. Experts recommend about three inches of green on top. This keeps the moisture in the soil and also helps to shade out weed development.
Mow at the Right Time. Avoid mowing during the heat of the day, especially when you’re trying to establish your lawn. Mowing already causes stress on grass blades and when it is hot, grass will lose more water and recover slower. Plus, the later you mow, the more time your lawn has to recover before the next day’s heat wave.
Stock Up on Weed Control. Compare-N-Save 2,4-D Amine Broadleaf Weed Killer spot treats weeds, leaving your healthy plants alone, in both your lawn and garden. It controls dandelions, creeping jenny, poison ivy, plantain, chickweed and many others.
Get a Fresh Start. If you’ve tried all these techniques and your lawn is still suffering or your flower beds just aren’t working for you, it may be time to start over. Ragan & Massey’s RM18 not only provides, accurate spot control of grass and weeds, but it also provides complete weed and plant control without damaging the soil underneath; the product is only active on the plant and deactivates once it touches the ground. Plus, it’s effective for up to six months.

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