With that in mind, it’s time to find a Dayton area lawn care professional to perform those all important first steps that need to be accomplished to get your lawn off to a great start.
 

Aeration
I recommend every lawn be aerated in mid-March or early April (assuming ground is thawed) to help manage thatch levels and loosen hardened and compacted soil. Thatch is the layer of dead grass, leaves and other ”stuff” that piles up just above the soil line.
Some thatch is good as it keeps the lawn’s root system shaded, reduces soil erosion and water runoff. However, too much thatch (thicker than one inch) can block water absorption and create shallow rooting in the lawn.
Aeration will manage the thatch layer properly without completely eliminating it like a power-raking would do. I rarely recommend power raking except in extreme cases. Your landscape professional should be able to perform aeration for you and if the thatch layer is out of hand, he can perform a double-pass aeration that will do the trick!

The Spring Cleanup
Your lawn probably has all kinds of junk and garbage strewed around after winter ice storms and strong winds. If you have big trees, you no doubt will have limbs and leaves scattered everywhere. Many of you will do this simple cleanup yourself, however, if you plan to hire a local landscaper to do it, call them NOW! These guys get booked very quickly and you don’t want to end up neglecting this cleanup! It’s not a good idea to have last year’s fall leaves matted into your turf. 

Starter Fertilizer
One you’ve completed the above, it’s time to hit the lawn with a nice dose of fertilizer to start the growing process off right. If you plan to hire a professional lawn spraying or fertilizing company, you should also call them soon. The reason for this is that they will be wanting to put down the crab grass pre-emergent application sometime in later April, but it is important to first get down a strong starter fertilizer to complement the next step: lawn seeding.

If you want to use a more natural option this season, you need to ask specifically if your lawn company offers natural or natural-based lawn fertilization in the Dayton-Cincinnati area.

Seeding
Notice that we have not put down any weed control or crab grass preventer yet? That’s because we’ll get those problems in April. Because of this, it’s a great time to introduce some fresh cultivars of grass seed into the turf. A general overseeding directly after the aeration is recommended to help the overall thickness of the turf. A rate of 1-pound per 1,000 square feet of turf is going to be plenty. Also, since we’re in the Spring season, the rains will keep the seed moist.

Almost all professional landscape companies will offer your fresh grass seed during the Spring cleanup and aeration.

If you ask your Dayton Landscape pro about these simple steps, chances are he will be glad to help you get off to a great start in 2008, and you’ll be happy with the results!