Spring into a lush lawn: Your North Carolina yard care guide
Spring will be here before you know it, and with it comes lawn maintenance.
It doesn’t take an expert to maintain a beautiful yard in North Carolina.
Before anyone can begin mowing the lawn, getting rid of debris — branches, twigs, pine cones and leaves — is essential. Also, taking out weeds is vital because when they spring up, they sap nutrients and resources from grass and other plants.
Different grass types for different regions in North Carolina
In North Carolina, your region will determine what grass type is best for your yard.
This state comprises three regions: Piedmont, the Mountains and the Coastal Plain.
The Piedmont region includes cities like Charlotte, Durham, Fayetteville and Raleigh. Homeowners in this region can mix cool and warm-season grass types for a stunning, natural lawn.
In the Mountain region, cool-weather grasses fare the best. The grasses include Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass and tall fescue.
The Coastal Plain — areas like Morehead City, New Bern and Wilmington — requires warm-season grasses. Some of these include Bermuda grass, St. Augustine grass, carpet grass.
Warm-season grasses take a while to green up. As their name implies, they grow best during the summer, when temperatures stay consistently warm.
Lawn mower maintenance
Before cutting the grass, your lawn mower must be in good condition.
Disconnect the spark plug before doing any maintenance. Most mowers won’t accidentally start up because of how newer models are built, but give yourself peace of mind.
Here are some questions to ask about your mower:
- Have you read through the user’s manual?
- Are the blades sharpened on the lawn mower?
- Is the lawnmower properly tuned?
- Have you cleaned the deck? Tip the mower with the air filter side up and brush out grass with a broom or gloved hand.
- Safely add gas to a lawn mower, which means don’t add fuel when it’s running. Most mowers use unleaded gas, unless it’s an electric mower. Also, don’t add gas when the lawn mower is really hot.
- Have you checked the oil level of the mower? Most gas mowers have a dipstick, just like checking the oil on a car.
- Each year, have you cleaned the air filter if it’s foam?
- Each year, have you replaced the air filter if it’s paper?
Cutting your grass
A consistent lawn-mowing routine is essential. It allows grass in your lawn to become thicker while reducing the number of weeds in a yard.
In the summertime, letting the grass grow is recommended.
If you cut the grass too low, it could cause the lawn to brown. It also increases your yard’s vulnerability to pests.
The North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources offers different grass height recommendations based on the type of grass you have.
- Centipedegrass ¾ — 1
- Tall fescue 2½— 3½
- Perennial ryegrass 1½— 2½
- Kentucky bluegrass 1½ — 2½
- Fine fescue 1½ — 2½
- Bermudagrass ¾ — 1
- Zoysiagrass ¾ — 1½
The state also recommends leaving grass clippings on the lawn. It returns nutrients to the lawn and reduces the need for more fertilizer.
Mow the lawn when the grass is dry. Wet grass can clog your mower.
Typically in the spring, it’s recommended to cut your lawn once every five days. In the summer, once a week is typical.
Watering your lawn
Watering your lawn is crucial to maintaining a healthy yard whether you use a sprinkler or irrigation system.
Most lawn maintenance guidelines suggest watering your yard two or three times per week. It helps reduce the risk of water evaporation interfering with your system.
The North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources recommends watering the soil to a depth of 4-6 inches.
How can you tell if the water has permeated that far down? All you have to do is stick a screwdriver in the ground. If it reaches 6 inches into the soil, your irrigation is complete.
If it is supposed to rain during the week, check the WRAL Severe Weather Center forecasts regularly to see how much rain your area can expect each week. You can modify your irrigation according to how much rain you receive.
It is crucial to continue to water even through an extended period without rain or a drought.
Lawn fertilizer
Excess nutrients added to your lawn can run off and damage the waters of North Carolina.
The state recommends calling your county’s cooperation extension service for how to take a soil test, which is free provided by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture.
The test will tell you how much phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen you need.
Lawns need some nitrogen each year to remain dense and healthy. Many lawns will do fine with only 1 or 2 pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet each year.
The state has compiled a chart of the guide of fertilizer your lawn needs depending on the kind of grass you have.
Some lawn fertilizers use a four-step program with the acronym EMIL for when to apply them:
- E - Easter
- M - Memorial Day
- I - Independence Day
- L - Labor Day
Fertilizer labels display three numbers in the same order showing the percentage by weight for three important nutrients:
- Nitrogen (N): For green, leafy growth
- Phosphorus (P): For root and bud growth
- Potassium (K): Promotes disease tolerance and drought tolerance
Fertilizer labels display three numbers in the same order showing the percentage by weight for three important nutrients:
- Nitrogen (N): For green, leafy growth
- Phosphorus (P): For root and bud growth
- Potassium (K): Promotes disease tolerance and drought tolerance
Different kinds of fertilizer are applied during the different seasons and can vary in:
- Strength
- Whether they have weed killer
- Whether they have grub/bug killer mixed in
Also, keep fertilizer off paved surfaces. If fertilizer lands on hard surfaces, blow or sweep it up immediately.
Do not apply fertilizer to frozen ground or dormant turf. Also, do not use fertilizer as a de-icer. Never blow or sweep soil or materials into a storm drain.
It’s also smart to talk with neighbors about how they maintain their lawns or consult with someone at your local hardware store for proper landscaping.
Different grass patterns
Most lawnmowers have a roller on the back of them called a “striper.” If you don’t have one, you can buy an attachment to help bend your grass.
There are several patterns to make your lawn look different. Here are three common patterns: The basic stripe, the checkerboard and the diagonal checkerboard.
It’s important to keep your lines as straight as possible.
The basic stripe
- Mow the perimeter around your yard. This is the area where you make turns like the sidewalk or driveway.
- Move the mower in opposite directions. Pick a direction either north/south or east /west, and alternate directions.
- Go over the perimeter once more.
The checkerboard
- Mow the perimeter of the yard.
- Make rows by mowing in opposite directions in a north/sound or east/west direction, just like with the basic stripe.
- Travel the opposite direction of the original mowing pattern. If you went north/south first, start by mowing east/west or vice versa.
- Go over the perimeter again.
Diagonal checkered stripe
- The diagonal checkered stripe is created the same way as the checkerboard pattern, but is done in diagonal directions.
