Skip to main content

Why does the lawn green up in spring differently?

                                     

Every year many homeowners in Antioch, Lake Villa, Gurnee, Waukegan and Lake Forest look forward to their lawns greening up from winter dormancy.  Many new and existing customers question why their lawn or neighbors lawn is greening up at varying rates.  I am hoping to explain some of the reasons why this happens along with pictures to explain.

                    Lawn is really greening up around mulch bed, why? Soil temperatures

 Each spring seems to bring varying temperatures, sunny days and rainfall totals.  These three factors along with grass types influence the lawn greening up in spring more than any other.  Lawns need soil temperatures to rise above 40 degrees, weekly rainfall to be adequate in the one to two inch range and most importantly many hours of sunlight.  The combination of these three factors as well as grass types determine what lawns and what areas of the lawn green up the fastest.  If certain parts of the lawn are greener than others in early April, it is because one or more of these conditions is more prevalent in these areas.  Grass types green up and produce new green shoot growth at varying temperature ranges as well.  Bluegrass and ryegrasses will green up the earliest with forty degree temperature or higher sections of lawn that are close to sidewalks, driveways, mulch beds or any other light and heat absorbing materials will have warmer soil temperatures.   Fescues tend to green up slower, not until soil temperatures reach the fifties.

            The dark mulch in full sun is absorbing heat from the sun, 102degrees in early April!

 Areas facing south, especially hills facing south, and east this spring have seen the most amount of direct sunlight resulting in warmer soil temperatures in those areas.  Direct sunlight is much more influential to soil temperatures than air temperatures.  A sunny forty degree day will warm up soil temperatures faster than a cloudy sixty degree day.  Therefore, any areas in full shade from bushes or buildings will have much lower soil temperatures and not green up as fast.



                                                 38 degrees in the shade on the same day

                                                        Heavily shaded area of lawn


                                   Same lawn same day, but in full sun area, soil temp 64 degrees

Shaded areas of the lawn require air temperatures to warm up.  The same sunny day that greened up the lawn next to the mulch bed at 102 degrees has 38 degree soil temperatures in the shade.

Therefore, areas of shade and fescue grasses are going to be the slowest to green-up and leave winter dormancy behind.   Keep this in mnd as summer approaches, because the areas that quickest to green up are also going to be the quickest to turn brown and go dormant as soil temperatures exceed the nineties....stay tuned.

Please share or follow us on Facebook for more helpful lawn care updates.

Contact us today at:  847-395-0940 or at: group593@lawndoctor.com

www.lawndoctorantioch-waukegan.com  

Or Find us on Facebook










Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Benefits of Rhizome grasses

Bluegrass and Turf-type Tall Fescue Bluegrass and Turf-type tall fescue grass seed blends are both cool season grasses that can thrive in our cool humid growing zone.  One reason they are so popular in the green industry is because they produce rhizomes as part of their reproductive process.  What does this mean?  It means the plant sends out new shoots below ground to repair itself and reproduce across open areas in the lawn.  The picture above is a patch of lawn that died in the early heat and drought this summer.  As the cooler temperatures of August and September arrived, along with some much-needed rainfall, the surviving bluegrass plants began their process of reproducing.  The result is a fuller appearance of turf that will eventually fill in completely without any over-seeding.  This unique characteristic of these grass types is why experienced turfgrass professionals have preferred them for high-maintenance lawns. Many lawn...
1 comment
Read more

The Importance of Early Spring Pre-Emergent Weed Control

The Key to a Weed-Free Lawn: Early Spring Pre-Emergent Weed Control As the first signs of spring begin to appear, homeowners across the country start dreaming of lush, green lawns. However, achieving that picture-perfect yard requires more than just hope and sunshine. At Lawn Doctor, we know that the secret to a beautiful lawn lies in proactive care, and one of the most crucial steps is early spring pre-emergent weed control. Let's explore why this treatment is so important and how it sets the stage for a successful lawn care season. What is Pre-Emergent Weed Control? Pre-emergent weed control is a preventative measure that targets weed seeds before they have a chance to germinate and grow. Unlike post-emergent treatments that kill existing weeds, pre-emergent herbicides create a barrier in the soil that stops weed seeds from developing into mature plants. The Importance of Timing When it comes to pre-emergent weed control, timing is everything. Early spring application is crucial ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Heat tracking in lawns

We have recently noticed a few instances of a somewhat rare phenomenon in the lawn care industry that we would like to point out in an effort to better communicate to both our customers and those interested in lawn care.  Along with the previously posted summer stress issues for the lawn in this blog, we wanted to bring up a more recent issue which is very rare but is currently a potential for lawns across the Antioch, Lake Villa, Lindenhurst, Gurnee, Lake Forest and Waukegan area.  This recent phenomenon is referred to by some in the industry as heat tracking. Heat tracking occurs when pressure is applied to the lawn from foot traffic, lawn mowers, fertilizer spreaders or anything else that can compress the leaf tissue down to the ground below.  When  this pressure is applied at the exact time frame (usually early afternoon at the peak heat of the day) that the turf is at its wilting point or entering dormancy stage it breaks the leaf tissue at the base o...
Post a Comment
Read more