With the cold spring time breeze still flurrying through the state, does the slow grass growth on your lawn grip your attention? If you have warm weather grass like the St. Augustine, Zoysia, Bermuda, or Centipede then you may have noticed a pause in their growth. Winter this year fell short of cold weather and the warm rays stopped these warm weather grasses from going dormant – the action of which is only normal during the cold winter weather. The lawn grass still continued growth at an unusual rapid rate given the time of the season.
On the other hand, the onset of a colder Spring this year has caused slow turf growth whereas they are supposed to be growing at their normal and consistent rate. It’s as if the weather department had a silly mix-up and delivered us colder weather when it should be warming up and vice-versa. On top of the grass growth stopping, the presence of Chickweed, Henbit and various other winter weeds added on to the problem. To sum it up, the look of your lawn appears to have gone out of shape when it’s supposed to be greening up.
According to Dr. Fred Yelverton, Turfgrass Specialist from NC State University, the weather in Southeastern United States was 21 days ahead of the 30-year average in early March causing the grass to grow way earlier than normal. A comparison of grass growth from last year and this year can be seen on the graph above. Furthermore after 15 days into March being the middle of March up until the beginning of May, the cooler temperatures set in. This prompted the grass to go into its an unusual state of dormancy. As shown in the graph above, the 2020 forecast correctly predicts a sharp decline in grass growth as there was no progress made in the months of April and May due to the cooler weather.
A sight to be alarmed about?
Glad to tell you that the answer is no. The state of the grass will turn back to their normal growth rate with a fresh and green look again during the coming time period of mid-late June. On the other hand, the slow grass growth doesn’t signify bad news. The grass is simply on a growth break and should resume its normal growth course, look and speed as the warmer summer months settle in.
Remedies?
On the bright side or perhaps on the greener side of the grass, there’s a simple solution. Mow that lawn!
Lawn mowing will diminish the troublesome weeds, bring a significant improvement to the appearance of your lawn. The fresh grass cut will allow sunlight to seep in through the nooks and crannies as a result boosting the overall grass growth of your lawns.
The importance and benefits of grass mowing, even with slow grass growth:
- Your grass will be in the best shape health wise when one-third or less of the grass blade is removed – a short trim would be the ideal way to opt for now
- Grass clippings or large blades will not clump up your lawn and remove unwanted traces of waste/debris – a clean and put together look could always aid in making your life feel more organized
- Short cut grass tend to have a much neater appearance as opposed to longer unruly blades
- Shoots from a freshly mowed lawn will act as a fertilizer which will regenerate the soil and grass
- Won’t hurt to be ready when friends or family drop by unannounced – a freshly clean outdoor scene make the indoors seem all the more warm and welcoming in this wintry state of our weather
- It will keep away those pesky pests and vermin that neither you nor your guests would ever want to come across
Looking for spring lawn maintenance in South Carolina? Give us a call at 843-779-8873 or leave a comment below to set your appointment! We are locals, mowing in Little River, Longs and North Myrtle Beach is second nature to us.
We offer Weekly and Bi-Weekly Mowing! Our mowing program includes mowing, trimming edging, and blowing and lawn is mowed at the correct height and frequency throughout the season.
