Experts Warn to Hold Off on Spring Lawn Care Amidst Lingering Chilly Weather

(KNSI) – Gardeners and lawn care warriors need to stay off the grass for a little while longer.

Stearns, Benton, Morrison, and Sherburne County Horticulture and Master Gardener Quincy Sadowski told KNSI News it’s too early to manicure your lawn. “I think everybody just needs to relax a little bit. It is just mid-March. And if we look at this weekend, it might be a little chilly.”

Sadowski says many people want to get out in their yard right now, but that causes more harm than good. “The concern is, this is the muddy season. And you can cause soil compaction. So, every time you step on the lawn, or you have a wheelbarrow out there, you can cause ruts and stuff like that.”

She says soil temperatures are too cold, so wait until mid-April or mid-May to start planting gardens. Sadowski advises waiting until fall to do any aerating, fertilizing or seeding for your yard.

If you must get out in the yard now to take advantage of the weather, she recommends raking up all the debris leftover from fall.

Sadowski is concerned for perennial plants that could start growing now only to be snuffed out by a wintry blast over the next few weeks. She says there is really nothing that can be done if plants sprout early.

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