Homeowner Tasks for Lawn & Landscape This Spring

By: Franz Witte Landscape and Contracting

There are plenty of reasons why spring is an impressive time of year in the City of Trees! At Franz Witte, we anticipate spring as the ideal time to assist your grass and other outdoor features on their way out of hibernation and get them ready to thrive once again. A crucial part of this process involves assessing for and treating any damage to the landscape over winter. Here are important tips to ensure success with your outdoor tasks this early spring:

Task 1: Rake It Up!
Once the ground thaws, it is a good idea to do a thorough raking/dethatching of the turf. This will prove to be a benefit in several ways:

• Reducing Thatch Buildup: Thatch is that layer of dead grass and organic materials that settles between grass blades and the ground. A thin layer is healthy. A thick layer makes for a breeding ground for pests and diseases.
• Fungus & Pest Control: This process removes twigs and leaves that contain undesirable fungi and pests.
• Opening Up for Healthy Soil: It loosens matted material to allow for oxygen, nutrients and for sunlight to reach the soil and the full plant.
• Reveals Problem Areas: It exposes bare patches where turf has died, so you know where to overseed.

​Task 2: Aerate Your Turf
Spring is an excellent time to aerate. By aerating in the spring, you can promote healthy root growth before the summer heat. This can help your lawn ability to withstand summer stress and drought conditions, giving a fuller looking lawn in the summer months. If you choose to aerate in spring, core aeration can help bring your grass out of dormancy quicker and
perform better during summer.
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New developments and homes are being built at a rapid rate. The lawns that come with a new home often have a stripped topsoil leftover from the construction process. This may leave your new lawn with a poor growing environment. Aerating the turf can break up the compacted soil and allow nutrients to reach the roots!

Task 3: Look For Turf Diseases
Once the snow begins to thaw, you may notice that your lawn has developed some nasty spots or rings. There’s a good chance you’re looking at a fungal issue. It tends to pop up in spring, so the previous task of removing thatch by hand should help, as well as applying lawn disease treatments. Seeking the advice and treatment options of a licensed landscape pest control company is encouraged. Though we may not get heavy loads of snow here in the valley, we still get enough to cause potential problems for our cool-season turf. Snow mold is at the top of that list.
 
Here are a few other diseases that can affect your turf:

• Rust
• Red Thread
• Dollar Spot
• Snow Mold (Gray and Pink)
• Powdery Mildew

Uh Oh! Identifying and Treating for Billbugs
One of Idaho's most common lawn pests is the Bluegrass Billbug. If not taken care of with proper precautions, these insects can do serious damage to your yard. Damage from billbugs can resemble drought/lack of watering, with irregular patches of dry grass.

Some people may think the dry-looking lawn isn’t getting enough water and will continue to water more. When dealing with billbugs, however, the damaged lawn will not respond to the extra watering.

Billbug larvae are white with a brown head, legless, C-shaped, and about the size of a large grain of rice. They are so harmful to grass because they feed on the grassroots. Billbug larvae can spread easily and cause damage to significant portions of your lawn causing it to look dry and dead.

If you are noticing your lawn starting to get odd dry patches, you can apply a systemic insecticide to treat this pest yourself; but seeking the advice and treatment options of a licensed landscape pest control company is strongly encouraged.

Task 4: Turf Fertilization – “Feed It!”
First, it is important to determine if you need to test your soil. A soil test will tell you exactly what fertilizers and amendments your soil needs for healthy grass and plant growth. Your soil is constantly changing, so it’s important to test it every 3 to 5 years.

The University of Idaho’s Analytical Sciences Laboratory offers comprehensive soil testing for a reasonable price, and you’ll be provided a certified soil report in 5 to 15 business days. 

Soil in Boise and the rest of Treasure Valley has an arid climate, it’s considered a high desert which means there are less nutrients available to your grass. Fertilizing in April or early May can give your lawn the boost it needs to start the growing season.

If you have warm-season grass like fescue, fertilize in late spring when you see the lawn starting to grow. For cool-season grasses like Kentucky bluegrass, fertilize lightly in spring using a slow-release fertilizer. Over fertilizing in the spring is discouraged, as it will encourage new growth that
will struggle through the heat of summer.

As always, if there is any question about what to use, how to apply, how much to use or when to apply fertilizers or any chemicals, contact a reputable, licensed landscape contractor or pest control company.

Activating Your Irrigation
PLEASE NOTE: Unless you have some basic experience with irrigation systems or experience with your own system at home, it is highly recommended to have a certified/licensed plumber or Landscape Irrigation Company perform the spring irrigation start up.

Incorrect startup procedures can lead to CO$TLY and UNNECE$$ARY repairs. The transition from a dormant winter mode to full spring operation for your irrigation system requires a methodical and cautious approach, particularly in how water pressure is reintroduced to the system. After months of inactivity, your irrigation pipes and components might be vulnerable. A sudden surge of water pressure can lead to pipe bursts or damage sprinkler heads and valves.

Pressurized Irrigation Systems:
Turn the Water Supply to Your System Back On For pressurized irrigation customers, this is usually mid-April to early May. Irrigation districts usually begin releasing water into the canal systems around this time.

• Clean Your Filter
• Program Your Controller Timer
• Turn on Each Station
  • Check and adjust all sprinkler heads to ensure they are spraying properly and not hitting the fence, house, sidewalk, etc.
• Perform Sprinkler Repairs as Needed

Domestic Water Irrigation Systems:
Reminder that it is highly recommended to have a certified/licensed plumber or Landscape Irrigation Company perform the spring irrigation start up.

• Make sure the clock is in the off position
• Locate the backflow prevention device
• Verify that the test cock valves (the little bleeder screw things) are in the closed position

(perpendicular to the opening). There should also be two, usually blue handled, ball valves. Both should start in the closed position (perpendicular to the pipe).

• Make sure all other valves in the landscape  (including the electronic valves in the boxes)

are in the closed position (the solenoids should be hand snug but do not over tighten, two finger tight is enough). Drain valves, typically red or blue handled ball valves located at the end of the sprinkler manifolds in the in-ground box, should be in the closed position.

• Verify that the drain blow-out point is tight. This is usually a cap or plug  located just after or next to the bell looking thing, called a bonnet.
• Determine where the main water shut off for the irrigation system is.
• Make sure the drain valve located next to the irrigation shut off (sometimes it is just a hose bib type valve) is closed. You are now ready to turn in the water.
• Turn the main irrigation supply line on SLOWLY! You should hear water running for a few seconds then stop. If the water does not stop running, more than likely there is a valve still open on the outside of the house (on or around the backflow device).
• Turn off the water and go look for any sign of water spraying.  If that’s the case, close the valve and go turn the water back on. Listen again, if it runs for a bit then gets quiet. If this is happening, you are ready to proceed.
• Now the water is on and there is no sign of water leaking anywhere. You can go outside and SLOWLY open the ball valve closest to the house, or first on the line coming out of the house.
• The main line is charged. No signs of leaks. Go to the irrigation clock and manually run through all zones. As each zone runs, visually look for leaks and proper head adjustment.
• If everything looks good, follow our guidelines for programming your irrigation controller.