# Best Practices for Early Spring Growth and Green up?



## WCtotheB (Apr 20, 2021)

I am interested in what the opinions are on what one can do to stimulate or encourage the earliest growth and green-up, curious if anyone has ideas they want to share? There are obvious things however I am interested in compiling a list and doing all that I can. Share the obvious or the abstract. I am interested in it all. 
Of course, there are going to be some things more beneficial to my backyard that is southern exposed and is a mix of cool-season cultivars, as compared to my mono stand of KBG Mazama in the front of my house that gets less daylight exposure.
Let's get some ideas going and start a list.

Clean up
winter repair- Snow Mold, wash out, die off, bare spot prepping, etc
Light raking
Early Fert
Mowing

Of course @g-man has his spring maintenance listed in the cool season guide which is awesome, just looking for thoughts beyond what is mentioned there and particularly what is most beneficial early in the season.

Thanks for the efforts to make a list and see if we can prioritize.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

This will give you the earliest green up. https://www.domyown.com/green-lawnger-turf-paint-p-1552.html?gclid=Cj0KCQiA64GRBhCZARIsAHOLriK-RgDGocG5tX0rUGGSsTVjGhccccKaK5VDr3dLWv7wumr4MuDMvxUaAkuBEALw_wcB&sub_id=1553


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## ABC123 (Jul 14, 2017)

The fall nitrogen application, it also depends on how the cultivar is ranked for early greenup.


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## WCtotheB (Apr 20, 2021)

g-man said:


> This will give you the earliest green up. https://www.domyown.com/green-lawnger-turf-paint-p-1552.html?gclid=Cj0KCQiA64GRBhCZARIsAHOLriK-RgDGocG5tX0rUGGSsTVjGhccccKaK5VDr3dLWv7wumr4MuDMvxUaAkuBEALw_wcB&sub_id=1553


Fair enough. Well played. 
Hadn't seen that brand of paint previously.


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## WCtotheB (Apr 20, 2021)

ABC123 said:


> The fall nitrogen application, it also depends on how the cultivar is ranked for early greenup.


The mazama I have is the greenest I have seen coming through the winter, however I am trying to get it a head start on spreading and filling in being that I renovated the mazama monostand in too late and it got cold before it could fill in. Appreciate the response.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Just do regular spoon feedings when it starts to grow. This is a long distance marathon and not a sprint.


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## Jeffersonzoysia (12 mo ago)

g-man said:


> Just do regular spoon feedings when it starts to grow. This is a long distance marathon and not a sprint.


Agreed, Once mother nature (soil temps) starts the green up, we can slowly help out. Anything sooner or pre-mature will only hurt that process, especially if/when we have a setback to freezing temps (which we usually always do). 
For example, next 10 days in Atlanta area, we are expected to have high 60s - high 70s and then on March 12th low of 32 degrees. That 1 night at freezing will kill any new growth on any warm season lawn and any other flowering, budding plants that woke up early from warm temps for 3 weeks.


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## bernstem (Jan 16, 2018)

Jeffersonzoysia said:


> Agreed, Once mother nature (soil temps) starts the green up, we can slowly help out. Anything sooner or pre-mature will only hurt that process, especially if/when we have a setback to freezing temps (which we usually always do).
> For example, next 10 days in Atlanta area, we are expected to have high 60s - high 70s and then on March 12th low of 32 degrees. That 1 night at freezing will kill any new growth on any warm season lawn and any other flowering, budding plants that woke up early from warm temps for 3 weeks.


Yup, this is always a concern for me. Many early spring budding shrubs can be heavily damaged from a freeze after several weeks of warm temps. My roses are starting to push new growth, and we are also forecasted to drop below 20 next weekend. I'll likely cover them with sheets to help protect them.


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## Old Hickory (Aug 19, 2019)

Jeffersonzoysia said:


> March 12th low of 32 degrees.


Uh, you trying to freak out some folks? I'm showing lows of 41 and 39 for 100 miles north of you for March 12, 13. Maybe you were making a valid point about best practices but General Beauregard Lee declared an early Spring so I'm going with him. :lol:

https://twitter.com/genbeaulee


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## Jeffersonzoysia (12 mo ago)

Old Hickory said:


> Jeffersonzoysia said:
> 
> 
> > March 12th low of 32 degrees.
> ...


Sorry to burst your Bubble, See 10 day weather forecast for NE GA. Also just checked Chattanooga TN for grins, 26 degree low on the 12th.


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## Old Hickory (Aug 19, 2019)

Jeffersonzoysia said:


> Sorry to burst your Bubble, See 10 day weather forecast for NE GA. Also just checked Chattanooga TN for grins, 26 degree low on the 12th.


Yea. So busted. Now I am freaked out. We were in shorts and t-shirts all last week. Ugh!


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## corneliani (Apr 2, 2019)

Old Hickory said:


> Jeffersonzoysia said:
> 
> 
> > Sorry to burst your Bubble, See 10 day weather forecast for NE GA. Also just checked Chattanooga TN for grins, 26 degree low on the 12th.
> ...


 Don't look now but the forecast is taking us down into the low 20s… and it's going to be below freezing for quite some time too!

. My tttf overseeding may have just been for naught.


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## ABC123 (Jul 14, 2017)

dont worry, theres lots of dormant seeding that has over a 75% germination when seeded during late febuary. A few cold days wont hurt it much at all.


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## Vtx531 (Jul 1, 2019)

I think the biggest factor for everything greening up in the spring is soil temperature. An initial low cut is commonly known to speed up heating of the soil. Just the opposite of what you want to do in the summer.


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## WCtotheB (Apr 20, 2021)

ABC123 said:


> dont worry, theres lots of dormant seeding that has over a 75% germination when seeded during late febuary. A few cold days wont hurt it much at all.


Good reminder.


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## WCtotheB (Apr 20, 2021)

Vtx531 said:


> I think the biggest factor for everything greening up in the spring is soil temperature. An initial low cut is commonly known to speed up heating of the soil. Just the opposite of what you want to do in the summer.


Right, Mowing, and cleaning up the lawn with raking and getting the ground sun exposure to speed up the warming of the soil top layer.


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## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

I think one of the biggest factors is the maintenance done the previous growing season. If the soil is in good shape the green up will happen sooner.


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## Deadlawn (Sep 8, 2020)

JerseyGreens said:


> I think one of the biggest factors is the maintenance done the previous growing season. If the soil is in good shape the green up will happen sooner.


This is the theory behind a fall feeding. Any nutrients a plant does not use in the fall will be stored over winter as carbs in plant tissues. That stored energy will give you a better spring flush.


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## WCtotheB (Apr 20, 2021)

Deadlawn said:


> JerseyGreens said:
> 
> 
> > I think one of the biggest factors is the maintenance done the previous growing season. If the soil is in good shape the green up will happen sooner.
> ...


it's certainly an interesting theory, Cashion Exchange Capacity certainly seems to play a big role in this theory, Some soils don't seem to retain much nutrients or water for that matter, that's what I have going on in my neck of the woods where they have stripped the topsoil during the development of these suburbs, and the yard areas or permeable surface areas are void of topsoil and have a very rocky prairie substrate. I have brought in around 20 yards across my 5K or so of yard, and that has helped to a degree but it still drains very fast.


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## Deadlawn (Sep 8, 2020)

WCtotheB said:


> Deadlawn said:
> 
> 
> > JerseyGreens said:
> ...


Cation exchange capacity or CEC definitely comes into play regarding certain nutrients. However, the nutrients the plant is able to absorb in the fall that it doesn't use will be stored _*in the plant tissues as carbs*_, they will not be in the soil. In other words, much of that fall app will not be wasted just because your soil has a low CEC. Granted that in low CEC soils, it's probably better to apply smaller more frequent feedings. But if you are going to do only one feeding a year, the fall feeding is the best one. In spring, your grass will flush and it will run low on nitrogen by the heat of summer which is what you want. Too much nitrogen during hot weather can put unnecessary stress on plants - at a time when they are unable to use it.


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## WCtotheB (Apr 20, 2021)

Deadlawn said:


> WCtotheB said:
> 
> 
> > Deadlawn said:
> ...


Nice, good info share. Thanks for the reply. Just a typical knuckle dragger here trying to create a pleasantly smooth reel mowing experience in my yard that is resilient enough for all the kids in my hood who love to congregate on it with my four kids.


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